A Baby Changes Everything
by ashleybee
Summary: One night can change everything. Babies are supposed to be a cause to celebrate, but when you're pregnant at 17, and hiding from an evil ex-boyfriend, things can get a little tricky. Dean/Alex, Dalex. Rated T. No flames please. CHAPTER 10 UP!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I wrote this story because I wanted to read some good Dalex (aka Dean/Alex) fanfiction. There's a lot of Jalex stories out there, and well a lot of them are well written, that couple just doesn't fly with me (no offense to anyone who likes Jalex, I completely respect that) because I have a brother and well, that would be ew times ten if I fell in love with him. Sooo ... I decided to write this. Dean/Alex is a pretty cute couple. It may not be the best work you've ever seen, but I'll try. By the way, this is rated T, and please don't flame. If you don't like it, don't read it, and if you like it, then please review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP or any characters. I only own the plot.**

**P.S. Just so everyone knows, Alex is seventeen in this story. And yes, I got the title of this story from Faith Hill's song. And yes, I know that song is actually a song for Christmas and it's about Mary, but I think it has a double meaning, for all teen moms out there.**

**P.P.S. This story is kind of AU, like Alex is a wizard still, but she doesn't use her powers too often. And she acts different than she does on the show, just because I personally find her character on the show very hard to write. At least in a story like this with such a serious plot but ... I'll do my best. (=**

--

Thick, deep, dark brown curls cascaded down Alex Russo's back as she let her hair fall for the upteenth time. She couldn't decide what to do with it. Up – she lifted it into a ponytail again – or down? She let it fall and groaned with frustration, glancing at the clock. She only had 10 minutes until Dean was supposed to be here, and Dean was always early, which meant she only had 6 minutes until Dean was here. And Alex had to be downstairs to answer the door because heaven forbid Max answer it – or worse, Jerry. So really, she only had 3 and a half minutes. And that was not a suitable time frame for Alex – but what could she do?

With a final sigh, Alex made her decision. She hastily threw her hair up into a messy side ponytail, casually sliding a thin blue headband over it. Then she dusted her cheeks with a light coating of blush, and swiped on some pink lipgloss. Finally, she took a few steps back to give herself a once over. Skinny jeans, a simple, but cute, camisole, a long grey cardigan, and, to finish off the look, some cute black boots. Yes, she was ready.

She walked down the stairs slowly – she never wanted to appear too anxious – and then took a seat on the couch, lazily picking up an old magazine that sat on the coffee table as she always did.

"Don't stay out too late," her dad began his lecture, and Alex pretended to listen, like always. "Be back by midnight. Don't do anything stupid. Remember, Alex, you can always say no..."

It sounded like _blah, blah, blah _to her, but she nodded anyways.

Her Mom came in. "You look beautiful honey," she said, like always. Max walked by, and threw a raisin at her head. Alex ducked it, as usual.

Then the doorbell rang and Alex answered it. She smiled and waved goodbye, ushering Dean out the door before her dad could change his mind about the curfew again.

It seemed like a pretty normal Saturday night – at the time.

--

Dean's car was cool and refreshing, and Alex rolled down the window a few inches as they cruised along through some small neighborhood roads.

Suddenly, her cellphone rang blasting out a dance song. "Sorry," she said to Dean, who was glancing over at her, trying to hide a smile. She flipped open her phone.

"Alex!" Came the excited voice of her best friend, Harper over the phone, "Guess what?"

"Umm..." Alex said, leaning casually against the armrest and twirling a curl that had came out of her ponytail with her finger. "What?"

"Jordan called me!" Alex bolted upright.

"No!" She said, genuinely surprised. Jordan was Harper's new crush ever since Justin had left for college last summer. "What did he say?"

"Get this," Harper said, "You won't believe it," she took a deep breath, "He called me about," she paused for dramatic effect, "The math homework." She started squealing and Alex held the phone away from her ear while Dean winced.

Once Harper's frantic cries of happiness ceased, Alex put the phone back to her ear. "Can I call you back?" She asked.

"Oh," Harper said knowingly, "You're on a date with Dean, huh?"

"Yea," Alex answered bluntly.

"Where are you going?"

"I dunno," Alex turned to Dean. "Hey Dean, where are we going?"

He shrugged. "A party. That okay Russo?"

"Sure," Alex flashed him a smile, then spoke into the phone. "We're going to a party."

"Oh," Harper said, "Well, have fun – wait, not too much fun," Alex rolled her eyes, "And then –" Harper gasped. "Oh no, you're not going to Andrew Levin's party are you?"

"I dunno, hold on, I'll ask."

"Dean, who's party?"

Dean appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Andrew what-'s-his-face, starts with an L..."

"Andrew Levin?" Alex supplied.

"Yea, that guy."

"Cool," she spoke into the phone again, "Yep, that's the one."

Harper groaned. "Alex, I heard there's going to be ... alcohol at that party."

"So?" Alex snorted. "What's a little booze?"

Harper gasped. "Alex! You wouldn't ..."

"Of course not, but I'm still gonna go to the party and have some fun. You know, dance, whatever it is people do."

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you Alex. And make sure you have a designated driver, and you can always say no, and – "

Alex laughed. "Have you been talking to my dad lately?"

"Well, yes, but that's besides the point. Make sure never to leave your drink unattended, and – "

"Bye Harper," Alex hinted.

"Oh alright, bye Alex. Be safe." Alex snapped the phone shut and stuffed it back into her jeans pocket.

Dean looked over at her uncertainly. "We can go somewhere else, Alex, if you want ..." he trailed off awkwardly.

"No," Alex stated, "I've been to parties before, you know that."

"I know, it's just – nevermind." And so they drove the last few blocks in silence, with the exception of the radio.

--

It was hot. And stuffy – not like Dean's car at all. At least a hundred or more bodies packed into the house. A hundred or more _drunk_ bodies. People pushed up against Alex as she and Dean squirmed their way inside.

The music blasted in Alex's ears, and she headed over to the dance floor flocked with all sorts of people. She blended in easily, finding her way into the middle of the crowd, and pulling Dean behind her. They danced for a while, but Alex soon found she was bored and tired. And thirsty.

"I'm gonna go get a drink. Want me to get you one too?" She yelled over the music.

"Sure," Dean said, "Get me whatever." She nodded and quickly left, her slim body sliding around the people in the crowd.

There was a bar set up in the corner of the room. She walked up and looked at the menu. Everything was either beer, or some shots. No water, no punch, no soda.

"You don't have any soda, do you?" She asked.

The bartender laughed. "Of course not. What'll it be?" He asked.

"Umm," she stared at the menu, unsure. "How about two of those?" She asked, pointing at something random.

The man raised his eyebrows. "You sure? That stuff is strong for such a small girl like you."

"I can handle it, thanks." Alex said, and against her better judgement, she grabbed the two cups, and made her way back out onto the dance floor. She had only walked a few steps when a voice surprised her.

"Alex Russo? Is that you?" She turned and found herself face to face with Riley – she hadn't seen him since the end of freshman year when he had moved to Chicago. Plus, he was a grade ahead of her; which meant he was in college now.

"What're you doing back in New York? At a high school party?" she asked, ignoring the introductions.

He grinned cheekily. "I was in town, and I heard about the party. Thought I'd stop by." His eyes grazed over her, making her feel self-conscious. "You sure look hot tonight."

"Uh, thanks," she said unsurely, suddenly realizing how different and older Riley looked.

"Want to dance?" he asked, stepping closer. Alex stepped back automatically.

"No thanks, I got to get back to my – uh – boyfriend."

"Oh," he said, not seeming bothered by it. "That's cool. Wanna meet up later tonight? Your boyfriend doesn't have to know."

Alex shook her head. "Sorry," she said, not really felling sorry, "I can't."

"Why not? Scared he's gonna find out? You know you can't resist me."

Alex snorted. "Hardly," she said, and he grinned cockily, suddenly closing the space between them in two long strides.

"What do you say?" he whispered huskily, and Alex felt scared for one of the few times in her life. She wished she could use a spell, but she couldn't risk revealing her magic. There were too many people here.

"I don't think – "

"Get away from my girlfriend," Dean's voice said, suddenly right behind her. His arms slipped around her waist easily, and she felt herself relax into them; she was safe.

Riley stepped back. "It's cool man," he said, "We were just talking. Right Alex?" His eyes bore into hers; she didn't like it.

"Uh.." she said unsurely.

"That's not what it looked like to me," Dean said. "It looked like you were harassing her, and I don't stand for people harassing my girlfriend."

Riley snorted. "I wasn't 'harassing' her. If anything, she was all over me."

Alex's mouth dropped open. "I was not!" she contradicted.

Riley grinned. "Maybe you weren't. Maybe that's just what I would like to think."

"Pervert," Alex muttered under her breath.

"You stay away from my girlfriend, you hear?" Dean said.

Riley shook his head. "If I wanna get up close and personal with Alex, then I can; it's a free country."

Dean's eyes turned hard, and he gently pushed Alex behind him. "Listen up – "

Riley cut him off. "You wanna take this outside?" He grinned, clearly enjoying himself.

"Yea, I do. Let's settle this out front," he turned to Alex, "You stay here with our drinks Russo, okay?" He didn't wait for an answer, but turned and started to follow Riley.

Alex pulled on his sleeve, stopping him. "Dean, don't. You're gonna get in trouble."

"Trouble is my middle name."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Please, Dean. Don't go. Stay. We'll dance or something."

"Yea, Dean," Riley taunted. "Stay and dance with your girlfriend." Dean suddenly made to lunge towards Riley, but Alex stepped in front.

"Don't," she said, "I know Riley, and he doesn't fight fair."

Riley grinned, and Dean looked ready to strangle him.

"Please," Alex continued. "For me?"

Dean stood still for a minute. "Fine. Let's go, Alex." And he pulled her back out onto the dance floor, and taking his drink, he quickly downed it. Alex, not sure what to do, drank all of hers too. Moments later, she started to feel a bit light headed and care free. She wrapped her arms around Dean and leaned up to kiss him.

"Let's get another drink," she whispered after kissing him. He nodded, and they stumbled over to the bar.

"Two more of whatever it was I got before," Alex said, giggling a bit, and pulled herself up onto a stool. Dean slid into a stool next to hers, scooting as close to her as he could, and wrapped one arm around her waist. The bartender raised an eyebrow, but slid over their drinks, which they both downed.

A few cups later and they were back on the dance floor. Alex was kissing him and suddenly she knew what was going to happen tonight.

"Dean," she whispered in his ear, "Dean, I want you."

"I want you too, Russo." They kissed again, and stumbled their way off the dance floor and into one of the spare rooms.

--

**A/N: I'll spare any further details because I think we all get the picture. I already have the next couple of chapters written, so review please? And maybe a new chapter will come sooner than you anticipate.**

**P.S. On my profile, you can find a link to Alex's clothes in this chapter. (=**

**xoxo, ashleybee**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yay ... two reviews! Although, I hope next time I could get more maybe like 10 ... but I guess this is my first fic. I'm glad people actually liked it. I was worried you guys wouldn't because I really haven't seen too many Dalex fics out there. I already have the next chapter written, so I'll just wait for you guys to review some more and then I'll post it. Soon, I hope. *winks***

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned WOWP. Then I would totally make this story a movie. And then parents everywhere would revolt because this is Disney and Disney never makes movies about pregnant teenagers.**

--

Strong arms were wrapped around her waist. Strong, but familiar. Alex snuggled into them, but suddenly stiffened. What the hell was going on?

She sat bolt upright as it all came rushing back to her. Then her head began to pound. She wrapped the sheet around her body, afraid to look to her left – then it would be all too real. Instead, she glanced over at the clock. It was about 12:45 - forty-five minutes past midnight. Oh God, she missed curfew. And she could hear the loud music from the other room; the party was still going on.

As if on cue, her cell phone rang, and she could hear Dean stir slightly next to her. Quickly she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Alex! Where are you?" Thank God it was Harper and not her dad.

"I – still at the party," she whispered. Her voice sounded weird even in her own ears. Scratchy, almost, and scared.

"Alex, is everything okay?" Harper's tone changed, "Are you ok?"

"I – I don't know."

"Oh," Harper paused, "Well, um, your dad called. He said you didn't answer your cell."

"What did you say?" Alex whispered.

"I told him you came here after your date, and that you had just fallen asleep right before he called; I told him you were sleeping over and that you were tired and forgot to call him."

Alex breated a sigh of relief. "Thanks Harper."

"Yea, well, I was worried – but I knew you'd be in a big trouble; that's what friends are for."

"Do you think you could sneak me into your room?"

"Yea, can you get down here? I'm still saving up for my '86 Catillac, but I could borrow my mom's car if you need a ride."

Alex glanced over at Dean for the first time. He looked peaceful; he looked – she couldn't say it – beautiful. And sexy. And she was afraid, because she didn't know if she would ever be able to face him again.

"Could you?" Alex asked, looking away from him as if the sight burned her eyes.

"Of course," Harper answered, feeling that something wasn't right. "I think I know where you are. Just, um, stay where you are and I'll call you when I'm there."

"How long?" Alex whispered.

"About 15 minutes. Can you hang in there?"

Alex nodded, "I think so."

They said their goodbyes, and hung up. Fifteen minutes seemed like a long time from now.

Still with the sheet wrapped around her – she was not taking that off – Alex slid off the bed and padded around the room. It was a nice room with light blue walls and a big white bed. It was probably Andrew's parents room.

Something on the ground caught her sight. Her underwear. She picked it up carefully, and gathered all of her other clothes. Then, noticing a bathroom, she walked in, locking the door behind her. A sanctuary. She double checked that no one was in the bathroom, and then she hopped in the shower. She felt dirty.

It didn't help much – only a little. Her clothes were somewhat dirty from last night, and the jeans felt stiff - she was pretty sure that brown spot on the right pant leg was a beer stain. She wrung out her hair, and pulled it back into a sloppy bun. Her phone rang.

"I'm here," Harper said when she opened the phone. "Out front. I don't really want to come in, but – "

"You don't have to come in," Alex cut her off, "It's fine. I'm coming out." She hung up the phone and crept out of the bathroom, hoping not to awake Dean. As her luck would have it, he was already sitting in bed, looking a little confused and in a lot of pain from a hangover.

"Russo?" He questioned when she came out, "That you?"

"Yea," she answered quietly, making her way towards the door.

"Where are you going?" He asked, standing up. He had pulled his boxers and jeans on while she had been in the shower.

"Uh – to Harper's," she answered.

"Need me to drive you?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No, I have a ride. Harper's here already."

He crossed the distance between them and Alex felt her breath catch in her throat when he placed a warm hand on her cheek.

"I'm sorry Alex, if you weren't ready. If I had known what I was doing, I wouldn't have – "

"It's not your fault," she cut him off. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Bye Dean," she said sadly.

And she left him with a feeling of loneliness and emptiness when she walked out the door.

--

Harper was waiting in her Mom's suburban. Without a word, Alex climbed into the front seat. Harper glanced at her friend, but didn't say anything as they took off down the dark roads.

Alex leaned her head against the cool glass window, reminding herself to breathe as last nights events, once again, came crashing back into her head. _I want you_, she had said. _I want you, I want you, I want you_. And, as sick as it sounded, Alex would not have gone back and changed that night even if she were given the option.

But she was still scared. Scared of the outcome. What if she got, like, an STD or something?

She shook her head to clear the negative thoughts. Dean had been her first; but had she been his? And Riley; she didn't ever want to see Riley again. That's what had started all that – the drinking binge, the sex. There, she had said it. Sex. She had sex with Dean last night.

"Alex?" Harper's voice broke through her thoughts. "Alex, we're here."

"Oh," was all she said as she climbed out of the suburban and snuck up the stairs after Harper. She reached Harper's room, and Harper handed her a pair of flannel pajamas and underwear.

"Could I take a shower?" Alex asked. She knew she had just taken one, but she needed a long one. A long one to get rid of it all.

Harper stared at her wet hair, but nodded anyways. "Take as long as you need."

"Thanks," Alex smiled timidly for the first time that night, before walking into Harper's bathroom. It was a familiar feeling she got as she let the warm water run over her skin repeatedly, and she scrubbed at her skin with soap until it was red and sensitive to touch. Then she washed her hair 3 times, scrubbing in loads of shampoo, until she finally felt clean. Stepping out, she dried off and changed quickly, feeling nice and warm in the pajamas Harper had lent her. At least she'd be able to forget for a little while.

Unfortunately, when she walked out of the bathroom, she realized Harper sat awake on her bed, waiting.

"Please, Alex, let's talk. Tell me what happened."

"I – "

"Please Alex!" Harper begged, cutting her off.

Alex sighed, and sat down opposite of Harper, and began to tell her everything that had happened.

--

"What if you get an STD?" Harper voiced aloud an hour later. They were each lying in their respective beds.

Alex turned to face the wall. "I don't know."

Suddenly, Harper sat bolt upright. "Did you use protection?" she asked.

Slowly, realization dawning over her, Alex shook her head. "No, we didn't. Harper, what if I'm pregnant?"

"Well, you're a wizard, there's probably some spells ... oh please, Alex, don't get rid of your baby!"

Alex sighed. "Harper, I don't even know if I'm pregnant yet. I'm pretty sure I'll have to wait a week or two before taking any tests. Besides, lots of people don't get pregnant their first time, right?"

Harper didn't answer. Instead she asked, "When was your last period?"

Alex mentally counted backwards. "The fourteenth," she finally answered, "So I'm due, for my period in, like, a week."

"So," Harper said, "If you haven't gotten your period in two weeks from today, we'll go get a test."

"Okay," Alex answered uneasily. "For now, though, I think I'm just going to sleep." And she did. Alex slept a dreamless sleep, just as she had hoped.

--

**A/N: So, she might be pregnant. She might have an STD. I'm pretty sure we all know what's going to happen based on the title, but that's okay. Review, review, review, pretty please with chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, caramel sauce, hot fudge sauce, sprinkles, chocolate chips, and a cherry on top. Boy, does that sound good or what? Yum. Whoever reviews first receives a virtual, invisible ice cream sundae! (Haha, I would totally give you a sundae if I could. Heck, I would give me a sundae ... I'm gonna have to go down to Cold Stone Creamery now. You should too. Review, and then treat yourself to some de-li-cious ice cream.)**

**xoxo always, ashleybee**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Geez, another chapter. I'm on a role, lol. I keep wanting to wait to post these until I get more reviews, but then I'm just like 'I really want to post another chapter.' And so I do. Anyways, keep reading and reviewing. Remember: reviews = happiness = faster, BIGGER, updates. Enjoy chapter three!**

--

Over the next two weeks, Alex avoided Dean like the plague. Whenever she saw him the hallway at school, she turned and walked the other direction. If he tried to follow her, she would escape into the nearest bathroom.

She didn't answer his calls, or return his texts. She threw away the messages he asked Harper to deliver for him without reading them. When they were in classes, she made sure she got there after him, sitting down next to someone else, no matter how hard he tried to keep the seat next to him free and tried to get her to sit there.

She cried herself to sleep at night, but the two weeks still passed quickly. And Alex grew scared. Her period was four days late, and her period was never late. Ever. So when Saturday rolled around, fifteen days after the party that had started this all, Alex waited nervously on her bed for Harper to come with the pregnancy tests.

"Did you get it?" She asked breathlessly when Harper strolled in, shutting the door behind her.

"Yea," Harper answered, "I got three tests – different brands."

Alex nodded. "Right, well, I guess I'll go take the first one." She slipped into the bathroom, and breathed deeply. "I can do this," she said quietly to herself.

After following the directions, she placed it down on the edge of the bathtub while she waited out the five minutes. She was going to wait in the bathroom, but then decided she wanted to wait with someone, so she walked back out and sat down on her bed next to Harper.

Finally, five minutes passed and the timer they had set beeped. Alex stared at the door as if it were a death trap; she did not want to go in.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Harper asked unsurely.

Alex shook her head. "I think I need to do this alone," she said, and stood up, pausing with her hand on the doorknob. Finally, she turned it and walked in, not looking at the ledge of the tub until she had seated herself by it. Cautiously, she glanced at the test which was placed upside down.

She reached down, and lifted up the test with shaky hands. Staring at the back for what seemed like an eternity, she finally summoned the courage to flip it over.

The little pink plus sign with the 'congratulations' seemed to jump out at her. Congratulations – maybe there was a mistake and pink meant you weren't pregnant. She grabbed the box, and flipped it over. Pink, positive, dark blue, negative. No. No, it wasn't right.

She shook the test hard; maybe it would change.** (A/N: Haha, sorry, stole that from Juno 'this is one etch-a-sketch you can't undo' or whatever it was.) **Maybe she could magic it to change. Nothing happened, the little pink plus sign stayed where it was, and one lone tear trickled down Alex's cheek as she slowly walked back out tossing the test on the bed.

Harper stared at her friend, before reaching up to rub her back. "These things aren't always accurate, you know. You should try the second and the third one."

Alex nodded and went back into the bathroom to try the other two. But five minutes passed, and she had no luck – both were positive.

"You'll need to set up a doctor's appointment to make sure it's true," Harper said, and Alex only nodded. "There's a free clinic a few blocks away," Harper continued, "I'm pretty sure you can go in anonymously." Alex nodded again, and they both sat there in silence.

Finally, Alex broke. She cried, and she cried, and she cried, and Harper held her and cried with her. They cried until they heard the front door unlock.

"Alex?" Theresa called through the house, "Harper? You guys here?"

"Up here Mom!" Alex called, her voice breaking. Shit. Her mom was going to know something was wrong, and she could already hear her climbing the stairs. She had to think fast. "Tests that brought sorrow, go away until tomorrow," she chanted, and the tests disappeared. Then she grabbed the remote on her bedside table and flipped on the television. Luckily, the Notebook was playing, and it happened to be at the end, one of the saddest parts of the movie. That would explain their tear-stained faces.

Only seconds later her mom walked into the room. "Everything alright girls? I thought I heard crying – oh," she said, seeing the movie on television.

"Everything's fine Mom," Alex said, "You know I always get teary eyed at this part."

She nodded. "Right," she said as the credits began rolling, "Well, I was going to tell you I heard this great song on the radio on the way home from the store."

Alex rolled her eyes. Her Mom was always talking about some 'great song' she heard on the radio. "You have to come listen to it, come," she said, leading the way downstairs. Like a good girl, Alex followed, Harper behind her. "It's by Faith Hill – it's about Mary and her baby." Baby – the word rang in her head. "It's called A Baby Changes Everything." How ironic, Alex thought.

They got downstairs and her mom pressed play on the iPod speaker – obviously, like with all of the 'great songs' she heard – she had already bought it off iTunes.

The song started playing, and Alex froze at the lyrics. Did her Mom know?

_Teenage girl,_

_Much too young,_

_Unprepared,_

_For what's to come_

_A baby changes everything_

_Not a ring,_

_On her hand,_

_All her dreams,_

_And all her plans,_

_A baby changes everything,_

_A baby changes –_

Alex pressed the stop button, seconds away from hyperventilating.

Her Mom stared at her, "Alex? What was that for?"

"I, uh, I – we should listen to something not so sad."

Her mom rolled her eyes and pressed play again, so Alex grabbed Harper's arm and dragged her back up to her room.

"When do you think I can get into the free clinic? I want to find out as soon as possible, if, well, you know," Alex whispered, in case her mom was listening.

"You could probably go now – I don't think it requires an appointment."

"Can you – can you," Alex couldn't get the words out, so she swallowed, "Can you come with me?"

Harper nodded. "Of course," she said.

They walked back downstairs where the song continued to play.

_And she cries,_

_Ooh, she cries,_

_She has to leave,_

_Go far away,_

_Heaven knows,_

_She can't stay,_

_A baby changes everything,_

"We're, uh, going to the mall," Alex called over the music.

"Okay," her Mom called back, "Have fun!"

_Yea, right._ "We will Mom," she answered, before walking out the front door, and breathing in the cool air which helped to clear her head.

They walked the short few blocks to the clinic, and Alex stared at the sign for a good minute or two. Hill's Free Pregnancy and Abortion Clinic.

"Are you gonna go in?" Harper asked. Alex glanced around, not seeing anyone she knew. What she didn't know was that there was in fact someone she knew nearby – and they were watching her.

"I guess," she said quietly, and slipped inside the doors easily. She walked up to the counter timidly while Harper followed.

"Are you a walk-in or do you have an appointment, sweetie?" The lady behind the desk asked nicely.

"Uh, walk-in," Alex whispered hoarsely.

"And are you here to have an abortion or check up on your pregnancy?"

"Uh, I'm, um, here to see if I really am, uh, with child." That sounded lame, but she didn't want to say the word pregnant. The lady seemed to understand.

"Why don't you take a seat over there?" She said motioning over to a waiting room. "While you wait. And your name is ...?"

"Alex Russo – but this is anonymous, right, my parents don't have to know?"

The lady shook her head. "Only we will know your name and that you've been in here," she confirmed, and Alex sighed in relief, walking over to take a seat in the chairs she had motioned them over to. Harper sat next to her.

Alex glanced around. There were magazines littering the tables, all of them with titles like 'Parenting' and 'Motherhood.'

She picked up one. 'Picking your child's name,' said the headline, 'Easy, messy-free snacks for your children,' and 'The stages of pregnancy – where are you?' She quickly put the magazine down and glanced at the pamphlets instead. 'Are you pregnant? Here are the signs,' read one, and another 'Abortions: Everything you need to know,' and then, a possible choice, 'Adoption: Giving away your baby to a loving family.'

She felt overwhelmed, and finally a nurse came over. "Are you Alex Russo?" she asked, and Alex nodded. "Did you bring anyone with you?"

"My friend, Harper," Alex answered, glancing at Harper. "Follow me," the lady said, and lead them through a hallway, before stopping at room #201, a number Alex was sure she would remember for the rest of her life.

"Hop on up," the nurse said. "I'm Nurse Jackie, but you can just call me Jackie," she smiled at Alex. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, but don't worry, no one will know you've been in here if you don't want them to know."

Alex nodded, "I don't," she confirmed.

"Okay," Jackie said, "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," Alex answered.

Jackie wrote down some things. "So you're in high school, then," and when Alex nodded, she continued, "What year and what school?"

Alex shifted. "Senior at Georgetown High School," she answered.

"Did you take any tests at home, and did they come out positive?"

"Three, and they all came out positive," Alex answered, wiping her sweaty hands on the sweats she was wearing.

Jackie nodded. "Are you late for your period?" she asked.

"Four days late, and I've never been late before," she answered, everything seeming to sink it now. She was pregnant. She was carrying Dean's child. "Oh god," she whispered.

Jackie looked at her sympathetically. "Lie down," she instructed, and Alex obliged as she lifted up her shirt and began to rub some cream onto her stomach. The nurse did a series of tests, and then left Harper and Alex in the room while she went to get the results.

"It seems so surreal," Alex noted as they sat side by side on the chairs in the room.

Harper nodded. "Yea, it does. But not in a good way," she added.

"Yea," Alex agreed, "Definitely not in a good way."

Finally, Jackie came back in.

"I have some bad news," she said. "It appears that you are pregnant, Alex."

Alex nodded; she had known it.

"Here are some pamphlets about your options, and you should drop by in a few weeks from now, alright? Then you can get your first real ultrasound."

Alex swallowed before speaking. "Okay," she answered. They talked a bit more, and then Alex and Harper left.

"Good luck!" The lady at the counter called after her. Once they got outside, Alex broke, the tears steaming down her face. And she cried and hugged Harper like there was no tomorrow. Because honestly, she didn't know if there was. At least, if her parents found out.

--

**A/N: Well, did you like it? Then click the little purple button and review to let me know. And then, haha, more virtual ice cream!**

**Questions to ponder: Will she tell her parents? Will she tell Dean? Will she even keep the baby? And who was the mysterious person watching her ... review, and find out.**

**P.S. There is a poll on my page so you can vote on who you think is the mysterious person watching her! Go vote, please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm so super sorry I didn't update sooner. It's just that I've been extremely busy with school and this play that I'm in. I have finals next week, so after that, at least for a two weeks or so, things should be somewhat easier, but then towards the end of Febuary and part of March things will be really hectic cause I'll have lots of dress rehearsals and performances. But yea, I thought I'd just give you all a heads up. Here's a chapter that, I hope, can hold you over for a little while.**

--

A few buildings down, a blond-eyed college boy watched two girls huddling together and crying. His mouth dropped – she was pregnant, of course, that was obvious. With that bastard's baby.

He shook his head as a surge of anger rushed through him. But it was quickly gone. He was willing to bet anything that the Dean boy didn't know this yet; and so he was struck with an idea.

He quickly left his spot, making his way over to the sub shop as fast as he could. Luckily, Dean was mulling about outside, looking nervous, and holding a bouquet of flowers. Flowers – what a suck up.

"Dean, is it?" Riley asked approaching him from behind. Dean turned around and narrowed his eyes at Riley. "The name's Riley; I don't believe we ever got a chance to properly introduce ourselves," he grinned.

"Fine. Hello _Riley_," Dean said rudely.

"Hello Dean," Riley said, still grinning. "You looking for your girlfriend?"

"What's it to you?" Dean asked.

"I know where she is, your girlfriend," then he decided to take a random stab at an idea he had, "And I know why she's been avoiding you all week." He didn't know if this last statement was true, but judging by the look on Dean's face, he had guessed right.

"Where is she?" Dean asked, the edge to his voice slipping slightly.

Riley shrugged. "I don't think that's my place to, ah, tell you. But I did she her at a clinic a few blocks over. She should be on her way back now," Riley paused, "She needs a strong man in her life now, someone like me. And I can tell you this Dean – she's gonna be running to me with her problems, and not you – that's how it should be. So you should just save yourself the trouble and give her up now."

"No," Dean stated, taking a step towards Riley, "And if I were you, I would leave now before things start to get ugly."

Riley backed up, smirking now, with his hands raised. "Alright, alright, I was just warning you," And with that, he turned and walked away, stopping just around the corner, so he could watch the scene that he knew was about to play out.

--

A few minutes after that exchange, two girls rounded the corner to the sub shop, both with tear-stained faces.

"Russo?" Dean asked, for he was still standing outside, waiting.

"Oh, uh, hey Dean," she answered. She wasn't ready to confront him just know. "Look, right now isn't really a good time to talk, and uh, bye," she said quickly, trying to walk into the sub station.

Dean gently grabbed her arm to stop her. "Alex, please, tell me what's going on," he begged.

"I – I – I can't Dean," she looked close to tears again as she gently removed his hand from her arm. Then she fled into the sub station, Harper quickly following.

However, something had fallen out of her bag – a pamphlet, it looked like. Dean kneeled down and picked it up, gapping at the cover. 'Abortions: Everything you need to know.' Why would Alex need a pamphlet on Abortions ... and then it all clicked, of course. But she couldn't be pregnant, could she?

No, she was, he knew it. She had been holding a hand on her stomach when she had walked up, Riley had said she was at a clinic – and then, at the party two weeks ago, they had – she was pregnant. His breath caught in his throat, and he clutched the pamphlet in his hand before standing up.

He didn't know what to do, but there was one thing he did know, and that was that he wasn't going to leave her, and he most definitely wasn't going to let Riley have her.

After a few moments of contemplating, he stuffed the pamphlet in his pocket and walked into the sub shop. Max was behind the counter.

"Hey Dean," Max said, "What can I get for you today?"

"Nothing, actually, could I go up and see Alex?" he asked.

Max looked at him suspiciously. "I'm assuming, then, that you know why my sister was crying?"

"I, uh, have an idea – wait, do you know?" he asked, suddenly scared – if she had told her family already ...

"No, I don't," said Max, relieving him from his worry, at least temporarily, "But go fix it."

"I'll try," Dean said, walking up the steps into the Russo's house. He entered, and not seeing Alex, climbed the few steps up to her room. He knocked on the door, and Harper opened it.

"Look, Dean, I don't think now is really a – "

Wordlessly, Dean held up the pamphlet. Harper's mouth dropped before she quickly regained her composure.

"I'll just, uh, let you two talk then," she said, stepping out of the room. Dean walked in and shut the door behind him.

"Dean, I – what are you doing here?" Alex asked from where she sat on the bed. Dean took a seat next to her and once again held up the abortion pamphlet. Alex's mouth formed an 'oh' and she snatched it from him. "Right, well, I was gonna tell you – but then, I wasn't sure that you were going to care, or what you – "

Dean cut her off. "Of course I care," he said, and then he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her as she began to cry again. _She needs a strong man_ – Riley had been right. But he could be a strong man; he was a strong man.

"What are we going to do?" She whispered against his shirt.

"I – I don't know," he said, as she pulled back, wiping her eyes. He glanced at the abortion pamphlet and she followed his gaze.

"I don't think I could do that," she said. And the truth was, he didn't think he could do that either.

"No, I don't think I could either," he took the pamphlet, ripped it up, and tossed it in the trash. "Did they give you any other pamphlets at the clinic?" he asked.

"Yea, they did – wait, how did you know I was at a clinic?" She asked, her tears momentarily stopping. She glanced at him suspiciously.

"I, uh, I – Riley told me," he finally confessed, "He said he saw you guys down there."

"He was spying on me?" she asked in disbelief.

"How do you know he was spying?" Dean asked.

"Well, uh, before I went into the building I looked around, you know, to make sure no one I knew was watching me..."

"He was spying on you, then," Dean confirmed, not looking too happy. Then he glanced at Alex. "You never told me how you know Riley," he said.

"Oh – um, it's nothing," she was quick to say.

He raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, then, please, so I can rest easy knowing that nothing's going on between you two?"

Alex let out a short laugh. "Nothing's going on between us now; I promise," she sighed, "We, uh, dated briefly during my freshman year."

Dean clenched and unclenched a fist. They had dated – but it was over now, right? But something about the way Riley talked suggested that while it was over to Alex, it was not over to Riley.

Besides, Alex wouldn't go back to Riley. For one, she was carrying Dean's baby, and for another she had been dating Dean since sophomore year. They were inseparable; two years and counting. Not many high school relationships lasted that long.

"Just, promise me something Alex," Dean said, "Don't go near him, alright?"

"I won't, but I can't stop him from coming near me," Alex pointed out.

Dean smiled. "That, Russo, is where I come in." He leaned in to kiss her, but they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"You guys?" Harper's voice rang out through the closed doorway, "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Alex said as they pulled apart, and Harper walked in.

"Okay," Alex began, pulling out pamphlets, "Let's talk options."

"Right," Harper said, "Options – and abortion is out of the question right?"

Alex and Dean both nodded, while Alex laid down the remaining pamphlets down on her bedspread. 'Adoption: Finding the perfect family for your kid,' and 'Congratulations! You're having a baby – what's next?,' and then the last one 'Teenage Pregnancy and how to deal with it.'

Alex picked up the Teenage Pregnancy one first and began reading aloud.

--

Theresa walked into the Russo home at five thirty that evening after running even more errands. She was about to call out to see if any of her kids were home when she heard voices from upstairs coming from Alex's room. She wondered if Alex had come home early from the mall, but that wasn't something Alex usually did. She always stayed at the mall till closing at nine, or until someone called her cell, so her motherly instinct taking over, Theresa climbed the steps to Alex's room quietly and paused outside the door, listening.

"... In any scenario," Alex was reciting quietly, "You have three options. The first, one that most teens take, is abortion," Theresa's mouth dropped, but she stayed still as the sound of a pen scratching against paper could be heard, "But we've already ruled that out," Alex continued, "The second, one teens also take quite often, is adoption. To find out more about adoption, you can pick up our adoption pamphlet at any local clinic," Alex paused, "Already got that," she said, "And the third, one taken not as often, is to have the baby, keep it, and raise it. This route is the hardest for teen mothers, because juggling motherhood, school, and – "

Theresa couldn't take it. She opened the door and stepped in, and three pairs of eyes jerked up and stared at her while three pairs of hands grabbed an assortment of papers from the bed and tossed them on the ground, kicking them under the bed. "Alex?" Theresa asked quietly.

"Mom – I – it's not – how much did you hear?" Alex asked, standing up.

"Enough," her mom answered. "Alex are you pregnant?" she asked bluntly.

Alex couldn't answer; she hung her head in shame. And her mom was surprised. Alex, speechless, who always had a witty comeback, who was always outgoing and strong, and most importantly, knew when to stop. But when Theresa thought back on it, Alex had been acting rather strange all week – quiet, almost, which was very unlike her. The song – of course, and Alex had quickly left, because of that song. And while Theresa wanted to be mad at her daughter, and even more mad at the boy standing next to her, she couldn't. She knew Jerry would go ballistic, and she knew Alex was going to need someone to lean on.

And it was then that Theresa remembered. She remembered her older sister, while it was rather hazy, because she herself had only been six or seven at the time – but she still remembered. Rosa had been seventeen when she got pregnant. It had been a hard time, and she had had her baby, but wound up giving it up for adoption – a closed adoption. And Rosa had regretted that adoption every day; she constantly tried to track down her baby with no luck. She was still looking. And Theresa knew that if Alex didn't have support like Rosa hadn't had support, she would end up just like Rosa. And so Theresa decided that she would have to provide that support.

"Mom?" Alex finally questioned, breaking through Theresa's train of memories, "Please don't be mad – it was a mistake and I – "

"I'm not mad, Alex, I can't be mad. Come here," she said. And Alex walked over and fell into her mother's arms, and they both stood and weeped together. Finally they pulled apart, to notice Harper and Dean had left the room to give them some privacy.

"You're not getting an abortion, are you?" her mom asked.

Alex shook her head. "I don't think I could live with that," she said.

"And adoption?" Theresa questioned.

Alex shrugged her shoulders. "We're still weighing our options."

"So it's Dean's then?" she asked, and once again Alex nodded.

"Your dad is not going to like this," Theresa mused, and Alex looked pained, "But we have to tell him. Tonight. And we have to tell your brother's too. You'll have to call Justin over at Yale ..."

Alex snorted. Yale. She still couldn't believe her brother was at Yale. Yale wouldn't accept her even if she gave them a million dollar donation - especially now that she was carrying a baby.

"I'm gonna go downstairs and see if Harper and Dean are still here," she said. She walked downstairs, and found them sitting on the kitchen table, waiting.

"I can't believe your Mom didn't get mad," said Harper.

Alex nodded. "I know, me too. But I know my dad's gonna blow a hole in the wall when he finds out," she turned to Dean, "You should probably go into hiding for a few days, just to be safe," she joked.

Harper grinned. "Oh my gosh, Alex is back!" she screeched.

"Uh, where did I go?" Alex asked.

"It's just that you've been all depressed and quiet lately and that's the first joke you've made in, like, a week."

Alex grinned. "Well, then, I guess I'm back."

"You want to go out to dinner tomorrow night?" Dean asked.

"Sure," she said, as she walked him to the door. She planted a small kiss on his lips, and leaned up to hug him. "I – I love you," she said the words she had been waiting to say for a long time.

She felt his arms squeeze her back. "Love you too, Russo."

--

**A/N: Awww ... how sweet. And we know know that it was Riley lurking around, spying on her. Not Dean, ooh. I don't want to tell you too much, but Riley is definately going to be making some more appearances in this story. I want to make this story around 25 or so chapters - I think that would be a good length; although it might be longer or shorter. And then maybe a sequel ... although I suppose we shouldn't be getting too ahead of ourselves. **

**I would also like to point out that more people are putting this story on their story alerts list, and not reviewing. On one level, I'm happy that people actually like it and are adding it to their alert list, but another level, it hurts. I mean, if you like a story enough to put it on your story alert list, why not submit a small review? I don't know, maybe I'm being too pushy. But to those of you, who do review, it means, like, the world to me. You guys are the BEST. And so, I'm giving a shout out to the (small) list of people who have reviewed. And guess what? To mix things up a bit, they all get a virtual cookie with their virtual ice cream:**

**1. cutiexkarli - my very first reviewer, who keeps reviewing. Thank you times infinity. You get TWO virtual cookies.**

**2. tinkerbell1919 - thank you also, for reviewing continuously.**

**3. twinerdygirl - thank you, thank you, for your lovely review.  
**

**4. CrazyForReading - thank you for putting me on your story alerts list, and reviewing.**

**5. SamDeanWinchesterLove - thanks for your review and your input.**

**6. ghettobabe510 - i'm so glad you loved the story; thanks for reviewing.**

**Now, if only that list could get longer ...**

**Oooh, also, I made a Dalex community. So go to my profile page and click communites and then click on the Dalex (Dean/Alex) community and SUBSCRIBE! There's only 4 stories in the archive now, but I want to get lots of suscribers ... and then you all have to start writing your own Dalex stories, and I'll add them to the archive as I find them. And soon we'll take over the WOWP section of fanfiction and fill it with Dalex fluff! Mwah ha ha ... join me on my evil quest. Haha, just kidding. I sound like such a nerd - an evil nerd - and this is a really long author's note that I bet half of you didn't even read it (I never read author's notes half the time either, so kudos to you if you read it) so I'm ending it here.**

**always xoxo, ashleybee**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Oh My God! It's been too long since I've written you guys a chapter. I feel so bad, but I've been so busy. But it's here now, right? God, it's been like 2 weeks; I feel horrible. But anyways, I hope you guys are still interested in my story and continue to read it, even though I was such a bad author by not updating. And WOOT! 19 reviews ... that's good, but let's get those numbers up, up, UP! So keep reviewing. And now, the moment you've all been waiting for - another wonderful, fantabulous (haha my word fabulous+fantastic=fantabulous) chapter!**

**And Disclaimer: I do not own WOWP. Or Dean. I wish I did. Then, I would take over the world with Dalex stories! Or Dashley stories (me(ashley)+Dean). Evil, evil ...  
**

--

Alex tried to breathe as dinner loomed closer and closer. Max and her dad had came up from the sub shop, and she could hear them watching football on TV while her Mom cooked and scolded them when they let out a few choice words.

"Max, go get your sister for dinner please," she heard her mom say. Oh god; time to tell her dad. At least she had one person on her side.

Dean had wanted to stay with her when she told her dad and brother, but she had said no. She wanted to do this alone – okay, not alone, but with her mom. Besides, she was seriously worried about how long Dean would have to live once her dad found out.

"Alex, mom says dinner is ready," Max yelled through her door.

"Okay, I'm coming," she hoisted herself up off her bed and walked out the door, zipping up her green velour sweater on the way; she suddenly felt cold.

Max grinned at her before taking the steps downstairs two at a time. She had to admit, her fifteen year old brother was growing into quite a cutie; he always had girls chasing after him. Justin, well, Justin was good-looking, but his obsession with school is what drove the girls away, Alex was sure. But whatever.

She followed Max down the stairs, and trying not to pee her pants, she took a seat next to her Mom, who squeezed her hand under the table. Yes, she had someone on her side.

The dinner table was relatively silent other than the occasional burp or comment by Max. And Theresa didn't even say anything when he burped, like she usually did.

Max put his fork down. "Okay," he said, "What's the deal? Mom, why aren't you slapping my hand when I burp? And Alex, why aren't you making fun of me or dad? What's happening to you guys?"

Theresa and Alex shared a look before Jerry spoke up.

"Yea, I was wondering the same thing. What is up with you two tonight?"

"Uh – I think we should tell them Mom," Alex said; it was now or never.

"Are you sure sweetie?" Theresa asked.

"Tell us what?" Jerry demanded.

Alex stared down at her plate, stirring her peas around. "I have some, uh, news," she began, glancing at her Mom for encouragement. "I'm – uh, I'm, um, I'm p – I mean, I'm, uh with – uh," she sighed, "I'm pregnant," she finally whispered.

"I'm sorry," Jerry said, laughing shortly in a way that showed he was not amused, "I must have heard wrong – you could not possibly mean to say that you were pregnant, could you?"

Alex cleared her throat and gave her mom's hand another squeeze. "Yes, I could and I did. I. Am. Pregnant," she repeated slowly.

Max's mouth dropped open. "Seriously? Like, there's a baby thing in your stomach?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Yes, Max, there's a 'baby thing' in my stomach."

"Cool," he grinned.

"Jerry, are you okay?" Theresa asked, glancing at her husband's face, which was turning steadily redder by the second.

"You. Are. Not. Pregnant," he said, "This is a joke, right?"

Alex shook her head, and stared down at her plate.

Jerry stood up. "Where is he? That boy you were seeing – I trusted him! I trusted Dean, and he knocked you up! Where is he? Give me his damn address!"

"Dad, no!" Alex said, standing up as well, "Dad! Don't get mad at Dean – it's not his fault!"

Jerry whirled around. "So it's not his? Did somebody rape you? We need to report this to the police!"

"No, Dad!" She grabbed his arm, "It is Dean's, it's just – it's not just his fault, it's mine too; he didn't make me do anything."

Jerry sighed. "Look, Alex, I'm not going to go find Dean, alright? But I do need to get out of the house, for a few hours at least," he turned, grabbed his jacket from the closet, and left the house, shrugging Theresa's hands away.

"Oh honey," Theresa said, "He'll come around; your father did the same thing when he found I was pregnant with Justin. He just needs to think things over, is all."

Alex nodded. "Okay," she said.

Max was still staring at them. "So," he said, "What's it like?"

"Being pregnant?" Alex asked, "Well, right now, it's not much different – "

"No, not that," Max said, waving a hand to dismiss the notion, "What's sex like?"

"Max!" Theresa scolded, "Go up to your room now!"

"Alright, alright," he said, walking up the stairs and muttering about never being able to ask any questions in this house.

"You know," Alex began, "Max got me thinking – why haven't I gotten, I dunno, any mood swings or cravings or morning sickness yet? Not that I want any of that, but, I'm just wondering I guess."

Theresa smiled. "Believe me, that will all come in due time. The morning sickness will probably be starting pretty soon – within the next week or so. You just kind of realized you might be pregnant early – of course, lots of people don't even get pregnant after only having, uh, sexual intercourse one time, but it does happen. And if they do, they don't even think about that possibility until morning sickness and mood swings kick in."

"I didn't think about it until Harper mentioned it," Alex said, "Then we decided to wait two weeks to see if my period was late, and then take the test. Those were the longest weeks ever," Alex commented.

"I'm sure it was, sweetie, but right now you should probably go to bed and get some rest – stress isn't good for the baby." Theresa walked Alex up to her room, and sat on the edge of her bed after Alex had changed into some comfortable pajamas and climbed into bed. "Don't you worry about your father, he'll come around."

"Thanks mom," Alex said. They exchanged goodnights, and Theresa left, while Alex fell into a restless sleep.

--

Alex woke up with an unpleasant feeling in her stomach. Before she even realized what she was doing, she had ran to the bathroom and puked up all of last night's dinner. She groaned and lied down on the floor; the cool tile against her cheek felt refreshing.

Alex wasn't sure how long she lied there, drifting in and out of sleep, before her Mom found her.

"Oh Alex," she said, knowing that Alex had probably just gotten her first bout of morning sickness, "Here, why don't you go back to bed," she offered her arm and Alex took it, letting her Mom guide her back into her room.

Under the covers, Alex found she was not able to fall asleep. She didn't feel sick, just kind of tired. She could hear her Mom making breakfast downstairs, and she was suddenly starting to feel ravenous.

Groaning, she pulled herself up and out of bed, taking small steps over to her closet. She grabbed a pair of old sweatpants, a tee shirt, and everything else she needed before heading back into the bathroom.

The ceramic tiles were cold against her bare feet, but the water was warm as it cascaded down her body. She glanced at her flat stomach, running a numb hand over it. It didn't look big, and it didn't feel big. She was guessing, though, that in a month a small bump would start to form – and that was what worried her the most. What would people at school think? That she was fat? Or would they guess the truth?

Alex shook her head – no need to think about that until the time came – and continued to rinse the shampoo out of her hair. After she was done in the shower, she changed into her sweats and tee, towel-dried her hair, brushed it, and walked out of the bathroom.

"Hey Mom," she said, taking a seat at the counter. Theresa smiled at her and flipped an egg onto her plate along with some toast. "Eat up," she said when Alex pushed the eggs around on her plate, but didn't actually take a bite, "You need it for the baby."

_For the baby, for the baby_. The words rang in Alex's head as she scooped up a forkful of eggs and put in her mouth.

"Did Dad come home last night?" she asked, ripping off a piece of bacon.

"Yes," Theresa answered glancing at the stairs, "He calmed down some."

Alex glanced up at the stairs too. "I'm sorry, Mom," she said, sighing as she stood up from the counter and brought her dish over to the sink.

"It's alright sweetie. Sure, I'm disappointed, but I guess this is one of those lessons we need to learn."

"Yea," Alex answered. At that moment, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. It was Jerry.

"Hey dad," Alex greeted quietly, unsure of his reaction.

He looked at her for a moment before looking away. "Alex," he greeted coldly. Alex sighed, and walked upstairs to call Harper.

--

"Hey Harper," Alex said when she heard her best friend pick up the phone.

"Oh, hey Alex," Harper answered back cheerfully. "How's it going?" Then something seemed to dawn on her. "Oh my god, how did your dad take the news?"

Alex winced at the mention of her dad. "Not well," she finally answered.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry! What happened?"

Alex sighed. "His face got all red last night ... then he had to leave for a few hours. Finally, this morning, when he came down for breakfast, he greeted me all coldly. He always gives me a smile; he never stays mad at me for more than an hour!" She felt a few tears well up at the corners of her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Alex!" Harper repeated, "Want to come over? We can catch a movie or something," she added.

Alex let out a watery laugh. "Sure," she said, "That sounds great. I'll walk over now. See you in a few." She hung up her phone and sighed again. When did life get so complicated, she wondered as she pulled on a pair mini uggs. She stood in front of the mirror and pulled her hair into a messy ponytail, deciding not to put on any make-up today; she didn't need it, anyways.

Finally, she zipped up a green sweater and grabbed a bag before walking down the stairs slowly. Her dad was already down in the sub station, and her mom and Max were sitting at the kitchen table.

"I'm going to see a movie with Harper," Alex said as she breezed by them.

"In that?" Her mom asked. Alex glanced down at her sweatpants – she usually didn't wear them out in public, unless she was at the airport.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, why not?"

"Alright, whatever you want," Theresa answered. Alex smiled and walked out the door, opting for the back entrance so she wouldn't pass by her dad.

Harper's house was about a 15 minute walk from Alex's. She usually hated the walk, but today, she found she was enjoying the fresh air as it blew against her skin. In fact, besides what had happened this morning, she felt like she was in a good mood today, although earlier she had been in a crappy mood.

"Mood swings," she decided out loud, suddenly wishing she had put on a hand because it was a bit cold out.

"What was that?" A voice asked. Alex turned and found herself face-to-face with just the guy Dean had told her to stay away from – Riley.

--

**A/N: AHHH! Don't hate me! I know, I don't update for two weeks and then I leave you with a cliff hanger. I'm so cruel! Also there's a new poll (soon) on my page, and it will most likely be up by the time you're done reading this about what you think should happen next. So ... go vote, if you want a say in the story! And, as always, reviewers get virtual ice cream ... that's getting kinda old, so I gotta think of something else. Oh! I got it you get to pet my virtual puppy. In fact, you all get your own virtual puppy if you review. And he/she can look like whatever you want because, duh! It's virtual ... and invisible ... heck, it can even be potty trained! And this virtual stuff buisness is starting to sound really weird, but that's me, the evil nerd ...**

**Review, review, review**

**xoxo forever + always, ashleybee**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow do I feel ba-ad. What's it been? A month? Two months? Feels like years ... so I'm sorry. I was sick with the flu (bleck, bleck, bleck) plus I had this thing called a play and a huge stinky science project ... but all that is over now! I also had terrible writer's block; I had the first like 3 pages of this chapter written for at least two or three weeks ... it just took me forever and a month to finish it. I'd like to say thank you to my iPod for keeping me company during the writing of this chapter. Boy, don't know what I'd do without that thing.  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Sorry. I wish _I_ had ultra-cool magic abilities, though.**

_--_

_Recap:_

"_Mood swings," she decided out loud, suddenly wishing she had put on a hat because it was a bit cold out._

"_What was that?" A voice asked. Alex turned and found herself face-to-face with just the guy Dean had told her to stay away from – Riley._

_--_

Alex was startled, to say the least. Here she was, standing on a sidewalk talking to herself, when Riley showed up out of nowhere. Awkward.

"Umm, nothing," she said quickly. _Walk away Alex, walk away,_ her mind was screaming, but her body didn't budge, and so she just stood there, staring at Riley.

Riley raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked, "I could've sworn I heard you say something," he paused, glancing around the street, "Then again, maybe I was just hearing things." Alex swallowed. She felt very uncomfortable around Riley, and he was smirking at her slightly. She felt a shiver run through her body, but it wasn't like the shivers she got when Dean ran his hands over her arms. Those were good shivers, but the shiver running through her now was one of fear.

"Yea, you're just hearing things," she lied, trying to step by him, "Well, I got to go, see you another time."

He blocked her path. "Don't leave so fast, Alex. What's the hurry?" he grinned, "Stay and talk awhile, we can catch up." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Thanks," she said, "But no thanks. I'd rather not, and I really have somewhere to be." _Don't show fear._ She stared into his eyes. They were harder, colder than she remembered. Something must have happened to him. "You've changed," she finally said.

"So have you," he responded, looking pointedly at her stomach. By instinct, she reached up a hand and placed it over where the baby was growing, even though it wasn't showing yet.

"Yes, I suppose we all have, but I don't think you've changed for the good," she said, the corners of her mouth turning down into a frown. Damn it! She was going to stand her ground; he was_ not_ going to scare her.

He frowned back at her, his intense stare hardening. "I've always been a bad boy at heart, Alex," he said coldly. "You should know that. I'm a bad boy now. You should stay away from me," he warned, mocking her.

"That's kind of hard to do when you're stalking me."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, sorry, I forgot about that minor, insignificant detail. I guess you'll have to try harder then. Unless you can't resist me; you know you can't resist me," he said, the sick grin appearing once again on his face.

"You disgust me," she spat.

He shrugged again. "Your choice, I suppose. Choose girly car-boy over, like I give a shit, because I'll have you in the end. Watch your back, and tell car-boy to watch his back too. Don't say I didn't warn you, because next time we meet, I won't let you get away so easily."

Before she could answer his threat, he had stepped to the side and walked past her, disappearing around a corner. His words rang in her head. She tried to forget about his threat as she continued walking to Harper's, but it seemed to loom there like some sort of dead weight hanging over her head – just waiting to fall and crush her into a million pieces.

No, she would not let him get to her. Besides, her life was already ruined enough. She was pregnant at seventeen – how much worse could it get?

"Alex!" Harper, like the over-worried friend that she was, sat waiting on her front doorstep, "What took you so long? I thought you might have gotten run over by a car!"

Had she really been talking to Riley for that long? She tried to think up a quick excuse. "I was, uh, walking ... slow, yeah, really slow ..." Alex said, letting the end of the sentence hang in the air.

Harper raised an eyebrow. "Okay, now why don't you _really_ tell me what happened?"

"Fine," Alex said, giving in. "But don't tell Dean. I – I ran into Riley."

Harper gasped. "_No,_" she whispered, "What happened?"

Alex made a face. "Nothing too bad. He was just being his usual stupid self," she said, unconvincingly. It wasn't her fault she had never been a good liar.

"And?" Harper prodded.

Alex sighed. "And he threatened me," she relented, "But I'm sure it was an empty threat," she added hastily upon seeing Harper's shocked face. "I mean, he wouldn't really go through with it, it wasn't like –"

Harper cut off Alex's rant. "What did he say?" she asked.

"Just to watch out, and stuff. That he'd have me in the end, whatever it was he meant by that," she answered, shrugging, "Anyways, it's not important. We should go now. Catch that movie."

"Right," Harper answered, "Well, we could see _He's Just Not That Into You_ or _Taken,_" Harper said, sensing that Alex no longer wanted to discuss the topic of Riley.

"_Taken,_" Alex decided, "Something to get my mind off boys."

--

The movie wasn't too short or long, about an hour and half. When it was over, Harper and Alex walked out of the theater, having completely forgotten about Riley. Almost.

In the back of her mind sat the threat, but at least she wasn't dwelling on it too much.

"Where now?" Alex asked.

Harper glanced at her watch uncertainly. "Uh – well, I kind of –"

"You have to go, don't you?" Alex said, keeping a poker face.

Harper's face was apologetic. "Yes, I do, I'm so sorry Alex, but I have a date with cute-math-guy, and my mom wants me to clean my room first –"

"It's alright," Alex said, cutting Harper off once more, "I understand. I should probably head home soon anyways. I think Justin's coming home this weekend ..." Alex trailed off her pathetic excuse.

"I'm sorry," Harper said again, "I really am – but I have to go."

"S'okay," Alex said, trying to sound nonchalant, "See you around. I'll just walk home – it's only a few blocks." She waved goodbye before Harper could get out another 'sorry' and walked off down the street. She glanced back once to see Harper walking in the opposite direction.

Absentmindedly, Alex rubbed her hands over her stomach, still trying to get used to the idea that there was a little baby inside there – inside _her._

_What happened, _she thought, _just yesterday it seems like I was starting high school ... and now this?_ Then she wondered if her baby would have any magical powers. "How cool would that be?" she asked out loud, earning a strange stare from an old lady across the street.

She shivered in the cold, again. She knew she should have brought a hat. But then, she had a better idea. There was a quite a few people on this street that she could see, so she turned down the first alley she could find. Not like anything would happen to her – she _was_ a wizard, after all.

"My head is freezing, my ears are cold, conjure me a hat before the wind takes hold." Satisfied with her make-shift spell, Alex swished her wand and a white knit hat appeared in her hands. "Perfecto," she grinned to herself, pulling it on. She was just about to step into the alleyway when fate intervened.

"Alex Russo, fancy meeting you in a cold, dark, alleyway." The voice was malicious and taunting.

"Shove it up your ass, Riley," Alex responded coldly.

"Oh, feisty today, are we?" Riley asked.

"I don't have times for games," Alex said, promptly turning on her heel about to stalk out of the alley when something – or someone – grabbed her arm. "Get your hand off me." Alex commanded, her voice wavering slightly. Riley didn't answer, but dragged her back farther into the alley. Alex reached down her hand and tried to pry his fingers off her arms, but he was too strong.

"You're no match for me, Alex," he said smugly. She was torn between using magic or not. For one thing, it would expose who she was but it would get her out of here. If she could at least get to her cell phone ...

"I warned you, didn't I?" Riley continued, "I even warned your boyfriend." _Dean._

This caught Alex off guard. "Dean?" she asked, "When did you talk to him?"

"A while ago," Riley answered smugly again, "I stopped by his place; told him about our encounter."

"You're an asshole," Alex said, fighting the urge to reach for her wand. "Let go of me," she said, trying to make it sound forceful.

"I don't think I want to let go of you – ever." For some reason, his comment made Alex extremely mad, and without realizing what she was doing she had yanked out her wand and pointed at him. He was so surprised by her sudden movement that he let her go, so that she know stood facing him, holding him at wandpoint.

"What the fuck is that?" He asked staring at the black stick, "Some kind of toy stick?" He laughed.

"It's not a toy stick, it's a –" she broke off, realizing what she had almost said.

"A what?"

Not knowing what else to do, Alex raised her wand. "Cranium Revolvis," she said the first spell that came to her mind. Her mouth dropped open slightly as she watched Riley's head spin round and round. "Shit!" She exclaimed – if Riley figured out what she had just did, she was going to be in big trouble.

Before his head stopped spinning, Alex dashed past him and ran into the street, not pausing once as she dove between people until she reached the sub station, out of breath. She stopped outside to regain her footing and slow down her heart. She had never ran like that before – not even in P.E.

"Alex?" a familiar voice asked when she walked into the sub station. Alex jumped in surprise and turned to see Justin sitting at the counter.

"Justin! What a surprise! Why are you back from college?" She asked, wondering if he had heard from their parents about her pregnancy.

His face was void of all emotion. "I'm on break," he said. It seemed as if he wanted to add more, but didn't.

"I see," Alex nodded her head slowly, taking a side-step to the right. "Well, I'm going upstairs," she said, turning towards the stairs and hurrying up them to escape anymore awkwardness.

"I know, Alex." Justin's words stopped her in her tracks, three steps up.

"A-about Dean's baby?" she asked quietly, turning around.

He nodded solemnly. "Yea," Justin answered. "I don't really know what to say – I mean, you're my baby sister, Alex. I never thought you'd be having a baby at seventeen."

"Me neither," Alex admitted, walking back down the stairs. She reached the counter and sat down next to Justin. "Never in a million years, did I ever imagine this happening."

Justin looked at her intently. "Do you love him?" he asked, suddenly.

The question caught her off guard, but she knew the answer right away; she had always known the answer. "Yes, I do."

"I saw him, earlier today; he was looking for you; he sounded worried. I think – no, I _know_, I can tell – that he loves you too. What are you willing to give up for him? For the life you could have with him?"

Alex instantly knew what he was talking about. _For the life you could have with him_ ... she would have to give up her powers if she wanted to marry Dean and have a life with him and their baby; that is, assuming she won the contest between the siblings in the first place – said contest which wouldn't even take place until another three years, when Max turned eighteen. If she didn't win the contest, then her powers would just go away, anyways.

But was she willing to give up her life of magic for Dean, just like her dad had done for her mother?

--

**A/N: DUH DUH DUH ... what will Alex choose???**

**Once again, sorry to keep you all waiting forever and a month ... but life happens, you know? And still review ... pretty please ... because virtual ice cream for you and virtual dog cookies for your virtual dog! OOOH ... you know you can't resist my awesome bribes. HAPPY MARCH, btw!!  
**

**And, all you authors out there ... go write some Dalex stories, because I seriously have like none to add to my Dalex community, and I wish I did cause I got four *woot* suscribers – so go write some awesome pawesome Dalex fics so I can add them and read them and love them, because dalex is the best ever WOWP couple. Who's with me??!! *awkward silence* okay then ....**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Alright, here it is. The moment you've all been waiting for (i feel so terrible for letting it take so long) .... *drumroll please* CHAPTER SEVEN! YAY - and 37 reviews. I got 12 REVIEWS on the last chapter, and that's totally like a record for me, so let's try and get at least 12 reviews on every chapter! That would make me so ultra extremely happy. *does a happy dance* Also, in case everyone hasn't realized, I'm going to try to make this a long story, and since the chapters are shorter than I would like them to be, it's probably going to be lots of chapters. I think I'm going to try and work on making longer chappies (this one's a tiny bit longer than the others - it was about 5 and a half pages on microsoft word) so next time let's aim for six whole pages. Then six and-a-half, etc., etc.**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine. You wish, though, you wish.**

--

Alex stayed up in her room for the most part of the night, contemplating. She had come to a conclusion – that she had no idea what lengths she was willing to go to for Dean. She had no idea if she wanted to give up her magic.

She was also hungry, she realized, because she had skipped dinner. By now it was nearly one in the morning, and she decided she would have a midnight snack. Well, more like a one in the morning snack, but whatever.

The walk down the stairs seemed to take twice as long in the pitch black night. She tried to hurry down the stairs, so she could get to the kitchen and turn on the light as quickly as she could. Naturally, she tripped over one of the stairs, stubbing her toe. She let out a few choice words, grabbing the railing to steady herself. Her toe hurt like crazy.

She managed to stumble into the living room and then the kitchen and turn on the light. She nearly let out a scream, however, when she noticed a figure leaning half of their body in the fridge, searching for something. Before the scream had fully formed, she realized the person was her dad. He quickly leaned his head out of the fridge when he saw the light go on, and turned to face her. She avoided his prying eyes.

"I knew you would be down," her father said, walking back towards the stove where he was making some hot cocoa.

"How?" Alex asked. She walked over to the counter, and slid up onto one of the stools. She leaned her arms against the counter and stared at a bowl of fruit that sat there, refusing to look at her father.

"You skipped dinner," he said bluntly, "And you're pregnant – you're hungry; you need to eat." He gently slid over a plate of quesadillas. He had obviously been waiting for her.

"Thanks," she muttered, ripping off a corner of one and placing it in her mouth.

"Hot cocoa?" He asked, pouring two cups before she even answered.

"Yea, sure," she said, and he slid one over to her.

"So," he said, taking a seat next to her with his own cup of cocoa, "You're pregnant," she nodded, "Do you want to talk?" he asked.

_Talk. _She didn't know what to talk about. "Okay," she answered unsure.

"It's Dean's," he said, by way of beginning.

"Yes," And suddenly she knew how she was going to get her answer about the whole magic thing. "Dad, I love him. I love Dean. I really love him, as much as you love Mom, but –"

"You don't know if you want to give up your magic?" Her dad supplied.

Alex nodded in response, biting her lower lip. "If I don't marry him, but stay with him, can I keep my magic?" If she even won the contest, that was.

Her dad shook his head. "No. You can tell him about your magic, but then he can't be anything more than a friend. Like Harper."

Alex thought for a moment. "What if I don't tell him I'm a wizard?" she asked, thinking she had found a loophole.

Her dad shook his head once again. "Believe me Alex," he said, "I would know if there was a loophole."

"But I'm dating him right now and I still have my magic," she pointed out, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms. There just had to be a loophole. She wasn't going to _forfeit _to Justin.

"You can be with him until you're twenty-one years old. At that time, the minute you turn twenty-one, the law activates and you will be contacted by a wizarding official. Then you will decide what you want to do – and they have ways of knowing if you disobey. They are wizards," he said.

"Oh," Alex said. "At least I have three-and-a-half years to decide what I want to do." She took a sip of her hot cocoa, and unsure of what to say next, stared down at her quesadillas. When she finally looked back up, her dad was gone, and she caught a glimpse of him fleeing up the stairs. She shook her head, sighing lightly, as she teared off another piece of quesadilla, and popped it in her mouth.

She got an eerie feeling, being alone in the kitchen late at night. She shuddered, and walked over to the couch, flipping on lights as she went. She grabbed the blanket that lay over the top of the couch and wrapped it around herself before walking over to the computer. She tapped her fingers impatiently as she waited for it to boot up. Finally, she was able to log on, and she signed on to AIM. A few people were on, including Dean, but before Alex could IM him, he IM'd her.

** ~ carguy2021:** ive been waiting all day for you to log on

** ~ fashionistagirrly:** sorry

** ~ carguy2021:** its ok...

** ~ carguy2021: **so riley stopped by today ... well yesterday actually

Alex felt herself fill with dread at his statement, but she decided to pretend she didn't know what he was talking about.

** ~ fashionistagirrly:** ??

** ~ carguy2021:** he said he talked to you earlier

** ~ fashionistagirrly:** oh

_Twice, _she thought, but didn't add.

** ~ carguy2021:** i dont like him

** ~ fashionistagirrly: **me either

** ~ carguy2021:** i mean i REALLY dont like him and if he gives you any trouble ...

** ~ fashionistagirrly: **dont worry about me ... who are you my dad?

** ~ carguy2021:** haha but im being serious russo

** ~ fashionistagirrly:** i no sorry

** ~ carguy2021:** its ok but just no that hes up to no good

** ~ fashionistagirrly:** i no its not like i purposely ran into him or something

Just then another IM popped up on her screen, causing her to jump up in alarm. She recognized the screename at once – one she hadn't seen since her freshman year of high school.

** ~ baseballboyy: **same screename eh alex?

Her heart pounded in her chest and she tried to ignore the screen, not wanting to respond to it.

** ~ baseballboyy:** i no your ignoring me ... but if you value your babys life, meet me 2morrow outside the old theater down on 27th ave noon

She reached down a hand to her stomach, cradling it and thinking about the baby that was growing in there now. Would he really harm the innocent baby? Would he kill it before it had a chance at life? Dean's IM popped back up with a little ding, breaking through her thoughts.

** ~ carguy2021:** youll tell me if he gives you trouble???

** ~ fashionistagirrly:** gtg

** ~ carguy2021:** alex please answer me ....

Alex clicked the 'x' on Dean's IM window, unwilling to lie to him.

** ~ fashionistagirrly:** ok

She sent the one word IM to Riley before logging off. She was still shaking, and she wrapped the blanket tighter around herself as she headed back upstairs to her room, turning off lights as she went. When she finally made it upstairs, she crawled under all the blankets. Only there, in the sanctuary of her room, did she let the tears she had been holding in leak out. Tears of sorrow, and tears of fear.

--

Alex dressed warmly the next day, in skinny jeans, a magenta zip-up jacket, and a dark brown corduroy jacket over it. She slipped on a pair of her trademark converse, but left her wavy black hair down before pulling a magenta wool hat over it.

"Where are you going sweetie?" her mom asked her as Alex slung a hobo bag over her shoulder.

"Uhh ... Harper's," she said, trying to think quickly.

"Have fun, then, and be back before dark." _It used to be before dinner, _Alex thought to herself as she hurried out the door, looking left then right before crossing the street, _now it's before dark. Next it'll be before midnight._

There was one thing she hadn't anticipated: Dean. He showed up just after she had crossed the street, and she nearly barreled into him.

"Dean," she said weakly, looking at the ground, the lone tree across the street, the hot dog stand – anywhere but his eyes.

"Russo," he said, "Is this how we're greeting each other now? No hey, no hello?" Alex could hear the joking tone in his voice, and she raised her eyes slightly, but not enough to see his eyes. "You okay?" he asked, his voice taking on a concerned tone. He gently touched her arm.

"I'm fine," she answered, trying to make her voice sound light. To try and prove her point, she brought her eyes up to meet his his. They stared at each other for a second, and Alex felt those good shivers running up her spine again.

"You want to grab a bite to eat?" Dean asked, "Or we can go see a movie?"

Alex glanced at her watch – 11:50. She had just enough time to get over to 27th avenue. "I can't," she said, trying to think of a good excuse. "I have to ... go to Harper's. Girl time," she said, smiling for extra effect.

"Want me to walk you Russo? These streets can be pretty dangerous," he glanced around, as if looking for someone.

"I won't run into him," she lied, feeling horrible – that was exactly who she was going to see. But what choice did she have, and who could she tell? She wanted her baby to live.

"You sure?" Dean double-checked.

"Yea, I'm positive," Alex answered. She leaned up to place a gentle kiss on his lips, hoping it wasn't the last one she would ever give him. He responded almost immediately, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Be careful," he whispered in her ear once they had broken apart.

"I will. See you later," she said, hoping that it was true.

"I'll call you tonight," Dean said as she headed off. He watched her go, walking quickly down the street, a knot of worry forming in his stomach. He had a very bad feeling, and as he watched her turn a corner, he decided to follow her. Just to make sure she got to Harper's okay – besides, he didn't have to be at work until two o'clock anyways.

It didn't take him long to realize that she wasn't heading to Harper's. The streets got quieter as he followed her; they became deserted, with the occasional druggie hanging out in an alleyway here or there.

_Where was she going and why had she lied?_

A few times she had turned around to look behind her, and Dean had found himself scrambling for cover behind abandoned buildings.

Finally, she stopped in front of the old, run-down theater on 27th street. A guy with blond hair stood waiting for her, and Dean recognized him instantly – _Riley. _

He felt his heart fill with dread, and he wondered why she was coming to see him. Was she cheating with Riley – did she still love him? Was he threatening her? If it was the latter, he was going to be angry. He crept around to the next block and squeezed himself into a narrow alley way on the side of the theater. He walked down the small alley until he was right around the corner from where they stood. They were talking.

"... think you would come," Riley was just finishing up.

"Well, I came," Alex said, her voice wavering just the slightest.

"Good girl," Riley laughed.

"Right. Get to the point Riley – you're frustrating me."

"Alright, alright. You have to do a few things for me. First, break up with car boy."

"No." Alex's voice was strong and firm, but suddenly Dean heard her squeal a little and Riley's next statement sounded a lot closer – he could only assume that Riley had her pressed up against the side of the building. His fist clenched in anger.

"You want your baby to live, don't you?" Riley hissed.

Suddenly everything clicked for Dean – Riley was threatening her. Riley was _threatening_ Alex. His anger at Riley climbed, and it was all he could do not to jump out of the alley and punch Riley square in the face.

"Yes," Alex whispered, sounding close to tears.

"Good. Then do as I say. Second, tell me how you got away yesterday. One second you were holding some crap toy stick, and the next second my head hurts like crazy and you're gone."

"I, uh," Alex sounded like she was trying to think up an excuse.

"Answer me!" Riley roared, and suddenly Dean couldn't take it anymore. He jumped out of his hiding spot and in one smooth move had grabbed Alex away from Riley and pushed her behind him.

"Don't talk to her like that," he hissed, staring at the blond boy.

Riley cocked an eyebrow, and laughed. "_Don't talk to her like that,_" he mimicked. "Yea, yea, yea. What are you doing here car boy? Been here all along?"

"I've been here long enough to know that you're threatening _our_ baby's life."

Alex grabbed Dean's arm and leaned up towards his ear. "What are you _doing_?" she hissed, "He has a knife! Be careful what you say."

Riley heard this, and laughed again, the grin on his face growing bigger. "She would know," he said, "She's already felt its blade."

Alex fingered her right arm, where a gash lay, still bleeding. A painful reminder. Suddenly, Dean was lunging at Riley, and Alex watched in horror as the knife cut into Dean's side.

"Dean!" she screamed, running towards him. She pulled him away from Riley, trying to run with him. "Let's just get out of here, please!" she grabbed his arm, pulling him along with her. Tears trickled down her face as they ran down 27th avenue. Alex couldn't hear Riley following, but she could hear his voice.

"You can run, Alex Russo, but you can't hide – I'll have you yet." His laugh echoed after them, following them, and it stuck in her mind like a piece of gum sticking to the bottom of the desk – it was going to be there for a long time.

--

**A/N: Yikes. Scary, bad, evil Riley. *hides from rotten tomatoes being thrown* I know, I know - I hate him too. And I'm scared for Alex. What'll happen to her?**

**Unfortunately, I'm all out of virtual ice cream (wait, how does someone run out of virtual ice cream?) but good news - virtual jolly ranchers are here to save the day (omg, I fully haven't had a jolly rancher in like forever - watermelon flavor, anyone? that was always my favorite =D)** **And as always, don't forget to review. I thought I would change some of the lyrics to demi lovota's song Don't Forget to give you all some inspiration to review even after I didn't update for so long (can anyone say corny?)**

**Did you forget?  
To leave me a nice note,  
Did you forget?  
That nice notes ma-ake my-y day?  
Did you forget,  
Did you forget,  
To review?**

**Did you forget,  
That you get virtual ice cream?  
Did you forget,  
About your virtual puppy?  
Did you forget,  
Did you forget,  
To review?**

**But somewhere you went wrong,  
You forgot the golden rule,  
You forgot to read and review,  
You forgot to ... o-oh**

**Did you forget?  
That you could ma-ake my-y day?  
Did you forget?  
That I just want a nice review?  
Did you forget?  
Did you forget?  
To review?**

**But somewhere life went wrong,  
I lost the virtual ice cream,  
So now it's jolly ranchers,  
If you review ...  
**

**BTW, the real song is much better, and belongs to Demi Lovato, not me. But it's nice inspiration so ... REVIEW PRETTY PLEASE.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Wow. Words cannot express my sorry-ness. I've been super uber busy with school, and had half of this chapter written for the LONGEST time, but then I was having lots of trouble finishing it, so that's why it took so long. Anyways, there's no point in denying it, updates will probably be slow until June when school lets out then hopefully then they'll be more frequent 'cause I'll be sitting at home all day, watching re-runs of Friends and the Office (thank god for Netflix!), so I'll have lots of free time.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Unfortunately. I had a dream last night that it was though. We made this story into a movie – it was kind of like Juno, only with wizards. Good dream, good dream.**

--

Monday morning rolled around, and Alex groaned as the now familiar feeling of nausea entered her stomach. She rolled over on her stomach, trying to make the feeling go away, but it didn't work. She could feel the nasty bile coming back up, and with a moan, she climbed out of bed and staggered towards the bathroom, clutching her stomach.

"Alex?" Justin asked as she raced past him. Finally, she made it to the toilet and threw up last night's dinner. Just great.

"Alex? Are you okay?" Justin asked, walking cautiously into the bathroom.

Alex nodded, lifting her head off the floor. "Yea, it's just morning sickness," she said as she stood up. She hated the aftertaste that throw-up left in the mouth, so she grabbed her toothbrush and piled toothpaste on it before beginning to vigorously brush her teeth.

"Okay," Justin said, retreating from the bathroom. Alex brushed for another minute or two before spitting and rinsing. She was feeling considerably better, but yesterday's events were still haunting her mind. Luckily Dean's gash hadn't been too bad, nothing a bit of gauze and tape couldn't fix, but he had insisted on walking her to school this morning in case Riley showed up.

She walked back to her room to get dressed, wondering when she would start showing. Would people notice? Would they whisper? What if she got the urge to throw up in the middle of math class? She tried to shake these thoughts aside as she headed over to her closet to pick out the day's outfit.

She dressed how she usually did because she didn't want anyone to know anything was wrong. What she really wanted to do was pull on some sweats and one of Justin's old baggy tee-shirts, but then everyone would know that something was up, and that wasn't an option. Instead, she slipped on some black leggings, a frayed jean skirt, and white leg warmers. She put on a peace graphic tee and tossed a black and white scarf around her neck. Finally, she laced up a pair of pink converse and pulled her jacket on.

She trotted down the stairs, begging her stomach not to throw up until she got back home from school. She had no idea how she would explain to everyone if she started throwing up in the middle of school.

"Crap!" she exclaimed after she had descended the stairs, and noticed the time. "I'm going to be late!" she grabbed a doughnut from the box Max sat next to.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, "Those are mine!"

Alex rolled her eyes, biting into the glazed goodness. "It doesn't matter Max, we're going to be late – and I'm walking with Dean today."

"Since when do you care about being late?" Max asked through a mouthful of doughnuts.

Justin laughed, leaning over to steal one of Max's donuts. "He's right; you're always late to school."

"I – I just decided it was time for a ... change," Alex finished lamely, unsure of why she didn't want to be late. She couldn't place it – it was just a feeling.

"I think it's good that Alex has taken a sudden interest in her education," Theresa teased and Alex rolled her eyes again.

"I only said I didn't want to be late, mom, I never said anything about an interest in school."

The doorbell rang then and Alex heaved her backpack over her shoulders. "See you guys later, and you better leave soon too Max, or you're going to be late! You can walk with us if you want," she offered as she went to answer the door.

"No thanks, Alex, I have my own plans."

"And what might those be?" Alex heard her mom asking as she headed out the door to join Dean.

"Russo," he said in greeting as she closed the door behind them.

"Hey Dean," she said in response, re-adjusting her backpack so it sat lower on her back. "Let's go, I don't want to be late."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "You're worried about being late?" he asked skeptically.

Alex pulled on his arm, tugging him towards the sidewalk. "Yes, now let's go." They started walking down the street, and Alex thought about her weird change of mood this morning. She didn't understand why she wanted to be on time to school so badly, but she did. Maybe it was one of those mood swing things, but that didn't seem likely.

They hadn't walked far when an out-of-breath Max came running towards them. "Wait for me!" he called, running to catch up with them.

"I thought you had plans," Alex remarked coldly.

"Yea, I did. Until mom ruined them."

Alex rolled her eyes. Max would never learn. "And what where those plans?"

Max thought for a minute. "I was going to skip school," he admitted. "I have this big math test today, and I don't really want to take it, not yet, anyways."

"And you told mom you were planning on skipping school?" Alex asked. When Max nodded, Alex had to refrain from slapping her forehead. How stupid could one boy be? Dean laughed aloud at Max's sullen look.

"That was stupid. Look, you wanna skip school, go ahead, I'm not stopping you," Alex said pointedly.

Max looked around, debating. "I, uh – really? You won't tell?"

"Max – who do you think I am? _Justin?_" she asked, rolling her eyes again.

"No, I – I didn't think that," Max said, scoffing in a way that let Alex know that he had indeed been thinking along those lines. "You know what? I'm just going to school anyways. I'll ace that test."

"Sure," Alex said, "Whatever you say Max."

--

The school day was passing very slowly, a fact Alex was well aware of as she stood at her locker just after lunch. She had three more classes to get through before she could finally head home and just sleep. Not only that, but she had been worrying about Riley all day. Plus, she hadn't seen Dean since second period - they had a different lunch - and every corner she turned she was expecting Riley to jump out. However, health class was next, and Dean was in her health class, so that made her feel a bit better.

She pushed up the arms of her jacket before slamming her locker shut. Harper wasn't here today, and Alex didn't know why because Harper never ever missed school. Not even when she was sick. _Today is just a bad day, _Alex thought to herself as she walked towards the health classroom. She nearly tripped over her own shoelace, but recovered. "I'm okay!" she called out, but, as usual, no one was paying attention. "Stupid shoe," she muttered.

She quickly reached her health class, taking a seat beside Dean who was sitting in the back. Thank god they were allowed to choose their own seats in this class.

"How are you holding up?" Dean asked her, as she slid her health notebook out of her backpack and onto the desk.

"Not so well," she whispered under her breath. She had nearly threw up twice during lunch, and it had taken all her strength to keep it down so that people wouldn't start gossiping about her. Surely they'd be guessing she was pregnant any day now.

"I'm sorry," Dean said, but then he noticed her jacket sleeve pushed up. "Push down your sleeve!" he hissed quickly as the teacher began class.

"What?" Alex asked, looking down at her arm. Her mouth formed an o-shape as she recognized the dried blood on the gash that lay there thanks to yesterday's encounter at the old movie theater with Riley. Quickly, Alex pushed down her jacket sleeves, covering it. She hoped no one had seen it, otherwise there would be lots and lots of rumors going around.

"Today," Mr. Thomas, the health teacher, began, "We're going to be talking about the importance of _abstinence,_" He cleared his throat, before continuing, "It is important for students like yourselves to refrain from having sex, no matter how your hormones tempt you." The whole class giggled, while Alex groaned and put her head down on the table. What a perfect topic.

"Is there something you would like to share with the class Ms. Russo?" Alex lifted her head, and suddenly Mr. Thomas was right by her desk, standing over her. "Perhaps why you're putting your head down on the table while I'm lecturing?"

"I – uh –" Alex began, but suddenly her vision began to tunnel and everything felt like it was turning sideways. The colors in the room dimmed and the voices speaking to her hurt her head.

"Ms. Russo?" Mr. Thomas was asking, but it was slowed-down and deep, like someone had hit a slow motion button. "Ms. Russo, are you alright?" Her head was spinning and her mouth tasted dry, like chalk. She couldn't form words, and suddenly she felt as if she were falling, falling, falling, and her vision disappeared completely.

--

Crap. Crap. _Crap. _Dean had no idea what was going on. One minute, Alex was groaning in annoyance, and the next she was passing out. He had barely been able to catch her on time, and now she lay limp in his arms.

Around him, the class was panicking. "Mr. Moriarty would you help me carry Alex to the nurse's office?" Dean nodded, in a trance, while Mr. Thomas told the rest of the class to stay calm. Suddenly, Alex was in Mr. Thomas' arms while Dean supported her head. Dean found that he could barely look at Alex – she was so limp and unmoving; he had never seen her this way before. But why had she fainted?

Before Dean knew it, they had reached the office. Shaking, he helped Mr. Thomas bring Alex into the office, placing her on the bed in the nurse's office.

"Shouldn't she be up by now?" Dean asked the nurse anxiously.

Mr. Thomas placed a hand on Dean's shoulder. "Relax, she's barely been out for a minute yet. The office is calling an ambulance, but you and I are going back to class."

"Why can't I ride with her?"

"Because it's against school rules. Now let's go Mr. Moriarty." Reluctantly, Dean followed Mr. Thomas back to the health classroom, constantly looking back over his shoulder at the main office that grew smaller and smaller. The rest of the day passed in a blur, with Dean worrying about Alex.

--

Stupid damn hospitals. Who the hell did these people think they were? As if she needed all these tubes. It wasn't like she had gotten dehydrated on purpose or anything.

"When can I leave?" Alex asked the nurse for the millionth time.

The nurse rolled her eyes. "Soon. In an hour or so. We have to run some more tests."

"But you already know the problem – I was dehydrated," Alex pointed out.

"Yes, we know the problem, but we want to know how you got dehydrated. You said you were drinking enough water," the nurse said, sneaking a sideways look at Alex, "Unless you were lying?"

"No!" Alex exclaimed, "Gosh! Who gets dehydrated on purpose? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"That's what I thought. So I'm going to ask you a few more questions and the better answers you give me, the sooner you can go because the less tests we'll have to take."

"Alright," Alex said, wishing to just get it over with. She was itching to see Dean. "Shoot."

"Okay, first, have you been having dizzy spells lately, or was this the first case?"

"This was the first," Alex answered as quickly as she could. The nurse jotted a few things down.

"Alright, second, has your urine been coming out clear?"

Alex wrinkled her nose. What kind of question was that? "My urine?" she asked, disgusted, "No, my _pee _has not been coming out clear."

The nurse rolled her eyes, while Alex narrowed hers. "Fine, have you been _pee-_ing regularly?"

"Yes," Alex said, thinking two could play at this game, "My _urinary_ patterns have been perfectly healthy."

The nurse jotted down some more things, ignoring Alex's jab. "Have you been throwing up lately?"

Alex hesitated. The answer was yes, a lot, because she was pregnant. But the doctors and nurses didn't know that, and she wasn't sure if she wanted them to know. And if they ran enough tests, surely they would find out.

Unfortunately, the nurse took Alex's silence the wrong way. "Alex," she said, placing her clipboard on the small stand by the hospital bed, "Are you bulimic?"

And then Alex laughed. She giggled and giggled, doubling over in laughter. "No," she managed between giggles, "I'm not bulimic – just pregnant!" She laughed again, unsure of why, but all she knew know was that she was laughing – laughing because the nurse thought she was bulimic, laughing because she was pregnant. And then the laughter turned into sobs and tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "I – I'm p – preg – n – nant!" she wailed, the truth suddenly hitting her like a ton of bricks.

The nurse awkwardly patted her shoulder. "It's alright," she comforted, "But do your parents know?"

Alex nodded. "Yea," she said, wiping at her eyes.

"And ... have you discussed all the options?" the nurse asked.

Immediately Alex pulled back, staring hard at the nurse. "I am not having an abortion."

The nurse shook her head. "Are you sure? Because most kids your age –"

Alex cut her off. "I'm not like most kids my age. First of all, most kids my age don't get pregnant, and second of all, I'm not going to KILL my baby!" She sat back against the bed, breathing heavily for a while after her outburst before continuing, "Now I want OUT of this damn hospital! NOW!"

She lifted the blankets up, ready to climb out of the bed when she felt a firm hand holding her back. "You'll have to wait at least a half-hour while we get the release forms all prepared."

"Fine," Alex stated, "But if I ever come back, I sure as hell hope that you aren't my nurse." She glared hard at the nurse before turning around and facing the wall. She was in a bad mood now.

She heard the nurse sigh before leaving the room. "Finally," she muttered to herself, sitting up in the bed. The IV was still attached to her arm, and it was bugging her. She wanted it off. For a moment, she contemplated ripping the thing off, but then she decided not to. It probably wouldn't go over too well with the hospital staff.

Only a minute later, Justin walked through the door. "Alex?" he asked, knocking lightly on the door he had just opened.

"Hey," she said, sitting up straighter, "How's college? How's life? Meet any cute girls at Yale?" she asked, snickering.

Justin rolled his eyes. "As a matter of fact, I did, her name is –"

"Wait, wait," she said, let me guess, "A goth? A werewolf? Oh no, wait, I know, it's someone new – half unicorn, half person or, even better, a _mermaid,_" she laughed.

"No, Alex, she's not a _mermaid_ – she's just a regular girl. Her name is Justine."

"Justine? Are you serious? Justin and Justine? Oh my god," Alex said, laughing. It's not like she had a problem with the name Justine, but Justin and Justine – it just sounded so weird, so funny together.

"Is she a nerd like you?"

Justin didn't answer. Instead, he said, "She's smart."

Alex snickered. "You have to come home more often, Justin, so we can talk about your love life. And next time, bring Justine with you," she giggled.

"Why don't we change the subject. Why don't we talk about your love life?"

"You already know I'm dating Dean," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, so what secrets do you guys have then?" he asked.

"Uh, well, we had sex, but that's not so much of a secret anymore, considering I'm pregnant."

Justin turned bright red, looking everywhere but at Alex. "The weather's sure nice today."

Alex craned her neck to look out the window. "Justin – it's raining."

--

**A/N: Again, sorry, sorry, sorry this took so long. Also: 14 reviews on that last chapter! NEW RECORD! And I should've updated earlier, but I didn't, but I still hope you all continue to review because I would be very sad if you didn't. *wipes tear***

**Also, more virtual ice cream! I FOUND IT! Don't forget to review!**

**P.S. Tell me in a review if you've written and posted a Dalex story or one-shot so that I can add it to the Dalex community. We need more stories + subscribers!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So, for those who hadn't noticed (though I'm pretty sure everyone did...), I sort of had abandoned this story. I didn't have, like, any time for it, and I wasn't really sure where I was going with it, and then I went on a month long vacation, and just sort of forgot about it. But then they aired the Wizards vs. Vampires: Dream Date story and I remembered the story. That was when I really started thinking of maybe continuing it. (Except they broke up, and that was totally sad, but at least Dean was a softie (inside)!! Who else thought that was completely sweet?). Then I sort of forgot about the story again.**

**A few days ago, though, I was looking through WOWP fanfiction when I saw my story, and all of it's reviews – all of it's _76 reviews_ which I did not know it had. So then I started to feel really bad (and sort of good, you know, because 76 reviews for a story that only has 8 chapters and hasn't been updated in a while and is one of the few Dalex fics out there seems like a pretty good feat.) I feel horrible, like I've disappointed you all, especially 'cause I _hate_ when I find a story that I want to read more of is abandoned. So I'm going to try my best to keep this updated, make the chapters longer, _and _figure out a plan for this story and where it's going. I know I've probably lost a lot of readers, and those that I may or may not still have are probably mad at me for not updating for nearly six months, but please, please, _please _review because you guys are the ones who made me decide to continue – I couldn't write this story without you. I LOVE YOU ALL!!! YOU MAKE MY DAY!!!!!  
**

**Disclaimer: The day Wizards is mine is the day that pigs fly. (Will someone _please_ figure out how to make pigs fly?? Thanks!)  
**

--

Things were looking up.

Well, not really, but being out of the hospital was sort of giving her that impression. Besides, it wasn't like things would be looking up anytime soon – at least not in the next nine months. They were definitely going to start getting worse, but oh well - it wasn't like she could do anything about it _now. _

"Alex?" At the mention of her name, she rolled over and glanced through her bedroom doorway. Max stood there, his brown sticking up in a weird mohawk fashion.

"Yea, little mohawk?" Alex answered, trying to hide her grin.

Max touched his hair self-consciously, but didn't comment on Alex's nickname. "Mom, Dad, Justin, and I are going to the movies. You want to come or ...?"

Alex wrinkled her nose. "Family movie night? No thanks." She rolled back over to face the window, silently counting the number of lights see could see on in the apartment building next door. It was seven-thirty at night, but only seven windows were illuminated.

"Okay, well, bye then. Mom says not to strain yourself?" It came out as more of a question and Alex watched as one more window lit up, staring at the yellow glow. "Alex?"

She sighed. "Okay, Max, tell her not to worry, I won't. Bye."

The door shut, and Alex heard him walking downstairs. A minute ... maybe two, or three (she'd lost count) later, she heard the door open and then close as her family left for the movies. An eerie silence crept through the house, and Alex shut her eyes tightly – she was alone.

At least, that's what she had thought. And really she was. For a while anyways. But her eyes had only been closed for a few minutes when the doorbell rang. Instead of getting up, she placed a pillow over her head. That doorbell was just like an alarm clock.

It rang again. Groaning, she sat up. "COMING!" she yelled to whoever was at the door; whoever had dare disturbed her sleep – that doorbell was _worse_ than an alarm clock.

Shaking her head lightly, she stepped out of her room and down the stairs. She stared through the people for a good five seconds, but when she saw nothing, she opened the door a crack.

No one.

But there was something.

A plain white envelope sat sealed on the doormat. If she hadn't looked down at the last moment, she wouldn't have noticed it. But the fact remained that she _had_ looked down at the last moment and that the envelope was there.

She picked up the envelope gingerly by the edge.

_Alex Russo_

_Waverly Place_

_New York, NY_

She read over the neat scrawl on the front twice before shutting the door and placing the letter quickly down on the coffee table as if it were on fire. She continued to stare down at the lettering, fixating her eyes on the 'A' in Alex. She knew that handwriting. She knew that script.

She knew it well.

Closing her eyes, she tried summoning up the courage to open it. It seemed so frightening, sitting in front of her. Such a small letter, but she was scared to see what it held. She knew that whatever it was that was in that teeny envelope was not going to be good news.

She opened one eye, then the other, and read over the lettering on the front again. She traced her hand over the curve in the double s' of the _Russo_ and sharp edge of the W in _Waverly. _Finally she picked it up and turned it over, so that the seal sat facing up towards her. Fingers shaking, she reached out a finger and slid it lightly underneath the envelope flap.

It came apart easily.

Now that it was open, she pulled out the letter inside, gently letting the envelope fall to the ground. It was folded neatly in thirds. Slowly, she unfolded it. The same script from the front was used throughout the whole letter, and she got a panicky feeling inside her as she devoured the words on the page.

_Dearest Alex,_

_It is with great sorrow that I write to you – not sorrow for me, but surely for you,_

_I hate to admit. You know that I love you, but I have to do what must be done._

_After all, if I can't have you, then no one can. It is simply not fair. You are_

_mine, you have always been mine, and you will always be mine. Dean is merely a_

_poor pawn stuck in a horrible game. I would say you are like the king (but a woman, _

_not a man). Just like the king in chess, you need to be hidden and protected. Dean,_

_the ever valiant pawn, is trying to protect you. Unfortunately for him – and you –_

_I am like the queen of the opposite side (only a man). But I destroy, like the queen, and I _

_will soon be destroying Dean. He can only protect you for solong. And, Alex, you may _

_only hide your deepest secrets for so long. Nothing is safe. You are not safe. But let's _

_play a little while before I check-mate you, shall we? It'll make the prize – you, I might _

_add – much more worthwhile. Check, Alex. Where will you be running now?_

_Love always, Riley_

She gripped the letter tightly in her hands, breathing deeply. Creases formed where she held it and she drew in a shuddery breath. She didn't know if he was serious, but she had a feeling that he was, indeed, _very _serious.

--

She sat on the couch a long time, the paper in clutched in her hand. It was all too much to process – way too much to process.

Finally, the silence began to get to her. Every little creak of the floor, every little sound of a car outside was making her jump. When she heard the knock on the door, it was all she could do not to scream aloud. She dropped the letter on the floor and made a mad dash for her room. Slamming to door shut, she sat down, back against the hard wood of the door, holding it shut (in case anyone tried to break in). She reached for her phone and, fingers shaking, she dialed Dean's number.

He answered after one ring. "Russo, open the –"

"Dean, someone's at the door," she interrupted him, whispering, "I'm really scared it might be Riley because he left a _letter _at the door earlier and – "

"Russo, _I'm _at the door."

"I – oh," Alex said, feeling her heart return to normal.

"Yea. Could you please come open it? I'm freezing to death out here and I think my fingers have frostbite," Dean complained.

"Yea, okay. Be there in a sec." Alex hung up her phone and stepped out of her room, walking down the stairs quickly. She ran to the door, collapsing into Dean's arms as soon as she had it opened.

Dean dragged both of them into the house, closing and locking the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked once they were settled on the couch.

"I just wanted to stop by," Dean answered, his face pressed into her hair. It was quiet for a moment, a good quiet, before Dean spoke again. "What were you saying on the phone about a letter from Riley?

Alex pulled away and leaned down, picking up the crumpled letter from the floor. "He left it at the door. I didn't see him; just the letter was there when I came to open it."

Dean didn't answer; instead, he pulled the letter out of her hands, his eyes scanning the page quickly as he read. With each word he read, his hand clenched tighter around the edges, wrinkling it even more. Finally, after an agonizing silence, he placed it on the table.

"That _bastard._"

Alex curled back up against Dean as he wrapped his arm around her waist and buried her head into his shirt, clutching folds of the soft material. "I know," she whispered.

"He's not going to do anything to you, Russo, do you hear me? He's not going to hurt you, he's not going to touch you, he's not even going to come _near _you."

"I know," Alex said, but somehow she felt that knowing all this wouldn't stop Riley from coming near her, from touching her, or from hurting her.

"Someone is going to be with you at all times," Dean added.

"What?" Alex asked, pulling away from Dean, "Why?"

Dean ran a hand through his thick brown hair and stood up from the couch. He began pacing in front of the coffee table. "Because, Alex, _because._"

Alex shook her head and widened her eyes. "You're not making any sense, Dean – because _why_?"

"Because I don't want you to get hurt! I don't want you to be alone! I don't want him to find you!"

Alex stood up, letting the blanket that was around her fall down to her feet. "He can still find me if I'm with someone. He can still _hurt _me if I'm with someone! He could hurt whoever I was with and I couldn't bear if that was you or Harper or my family! Maybe I should ..." she trailed off, letting the unspoken sentence hang in the air.

"Maybe you should what?" Dean said, stopping his pacing to stare at her. "Maybe you should what? Please Alex," he continued, his voice cracking, "Don't say that you should give into him. Please, Alex, please don't."

She shook her head as she felt her eyes brim up with tears. "It's the only way I can think of, Dean. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me."

"No, you can't."

"I may have to – I haven't even told my parents or my family about all this stuff with Riley yet, and Harper only knows the gist of it. I can't – I can't let him hurt them, especially when they're so innocent in all of this."

"Alex," Dean said, running a hand through his hair.

"It's the only way and you know it! And what about the baby? Maybe he'll hurt _our _baby!"

"Don't say that!" Dean cried.

"I _have _to Dean, because it's a highly likely possibility. I have to keep everyone safe."

"Russo," Dean said, closing the distance between them in a few strides, "You're not superwoman." He placed his hands on her shoulder and gave her a half-hearted smile. "You don't have to do _everything_ by yourself. I'm here, your family's here, Harper's here. And you don't have to give into Riley. If things get any worse, if he comes through on his threats, then we can call the police."

"Okay," Alex whispered. She leaned her head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him.

It was quiet for a moment as Alex leaned against him, breathing in the scent of him. But then the ever-familiar feeling of needing to puke her guts out overwhelmed her and Alex found herself pulling away from Dean.

"Russo?" Dean asked as Alex bolted towards the bathroom, hand covering her mouth.

He followed her to the bathroom where he found her leaning over the toilet, throwing up her lunch _and _dinner. He reached a hand out and pulled her hair away from her face.

"Go away," Alex moaned between bouts of throwing up, "You don't have to see this." She leaned over the toilet and retched again. Dean didn't say anything, but he didn't leave either. Instead, he reached his free hand up and rubbed it up and down her back soothingly.

Finally, Alex leaned away from the toilet. She ripped a piece of toilet paper from the roll to use it to wipe her mouth and then she flushed the toilet and closed the lid.

"Dean, I –" she started, but her head started spinning, so she stopped talking and slid down against the wall, leaning her head against the hard plaster.

"Yea?"

"I didn't want you to have to see me ... like that," she finally said. She closed her eyes, refusing to look at him.

Dean sat down next to her. "Hey, Russo, it's fine. It's just a little spit up." _A little, yea, right._

"Whatever." Alex opened her eyes and stood up, walking over to the sink. She brushed her teeth twice, savoring the minty fresh feeling the paste left in her mouth. At least one thing in her life hadn't changed.

"I'm really tired," she told Dean, swaying on her feet ever so slightly, "I think I'll go get changed into my pajamas and then maybe lie down for a while. We could watch a movie in my room or something, if you want."

Dean shrugged. "Sure, Russo. I'll let you go change and I'll be up in a few minutes, alright?"

"Okay," Alex said, heading out of the bathroom. She glanced back once at Dean as she walked down the hallway. He was watching her. She gave him a small smile as she headed up the stairs.

--

Once she was in her bedroom, Alex changed quickly into a pair of purple plaid pajama bottoms and a plain black v-neck tee. She knotted the drawstring on the pants and then slipped her feet into slippers. "Dean?" she called out the door, cracking it open a bit. She heard his footsteps walking slowly up the stairs before she heard his voice.

"Russo," he stated, walking into her room, "What do you want to watch?"

"Nothing _too _scary – but nothing too mushy either. A comedy, maybe." She walked over to where he stood by her rack of DVDs and together they scanned the titles looking for a good movie.

"_Ferris Bueller_?" Dean suggested, reaching for the movie.

Alex shook her head. "Nah, I've seen it one too many times. Uh ... _Juno_?" the movie title slipped out and she instantly regretted it. Dean gave her a sideways look.

"As appropriate as that would be for this situation ..." he trailed off and it almost looked as if he was trying to hold back a laugh.

"You're right – no. So," she paused scanning the titles, "How about _50 first dates_?"

Dean wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "No, I'm putting my foot down."

"Why?" Alex whined, "I _like _that movie!" Dean shook his head again, so Alex began turned back to the DVDs. "Fine, then. Whatever. Let me think ... uh, _Knocked Up_?" Oh, not again. Why did she have all these pregnancy movies anyways? "Nevermind."

"No, wait," Dean said, "Let's watch it."

Alex paused. "If you want to ..." she trailed off, sounding unsure.

Dean smirked. "I want to."

"Alright then, _Knocked Up_ it is." She yanked the movie off the shelf and walked over to the small TV in her room. She slipped the DVD in, turned the television on and settled back on her bed next to Dean. As many times as they'd sat together on her bed, in her room, watching a movie, the situation still felt awkward. There was at least half-a-foot of space between them on the bed and they both sat rigid, backs straight against the headboard, as they stared at the TV, sneaking sideways glances at each other every so often.

Nonetheless, Alex managed to fall into a deep sleep before the previews had even finished and the movie had even started.

--

**A/N: WOO! Chapter 9 is finally up and finished! I don't know how I feel about it, but I hope you're all glad that I'm back and updated (please, please, please don't hate me too much about the five-and-a-half month long break thing. I'm sorry! I really am! *grovels on knees and begs for forgiveness*). Anyways, yes, please review because it would make me so happy and I'll try to update again as soon as possible. Again, sorry, and I wouldn't be writing this story without you guys ... your reviews inspire me and give me the boost to keep writing. I hope my writing's gotten better and I hope you all liked the chapter. Just a warning that the next chapter will probably skip ahead about seven or eight weeks! Okay, so review, if you want to! THANKS IN ADVANCE! And I have more virtual ice cream .... this time with whipped cream, cherries, sprinkles, and hot fudge sauce! Oh, and dog biscuits for your virtual puppy!**

**Oh, one more thing! The majority of people on my poll (that's been up FOREVER on my profile page) said I should write another Dalex fic. Now, I know this story still has a _long _way to ago, but I've decided I intend to write a sequel when I'm done. I'm not sure when this fic will be done, though, because I'm planning it to be quite a bit longer (it's not even halfway done right now, just so everyone knows). All the good stuff is yet to come. But yea, I thought everyone just might like to know about the sequel news. And there's a new poll up on my page because I want to know everyone's thoughts on the sequel news and the fact that I'm back and writing again!**

**xoxo, you guys are my inspiration always, ashleybee  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Holy shit. I have 110 reviews on this story. I also haven't updated since October, which was, like, three-and-a-half months ago. God, I know you all must hate me. I totally hate me too, for saying that I was back and updating again and then ... not updating. My life's been hectic, I have a lot of stuff going on, but I _really _am**** sorry. I feel so bad, beyond words. To be honest, I just ... I abandoned this story again, though sort of unconsciously. I know, I know. I said I wouldn't. I lied. I did. I didn't mean to – it just ... happened? Anyways, I'm back writing (again), so here's another chapter because when I accidentally stumbled across this story again yesterday (I was looking at the favorite stories on someone else's page, saw mine, clicked it, saw 110 reviews, screamed, then cried a little 'cause I felt so bad, abandoning it, then saw three messages in my inbox asking me to please update and felt even worse), I knew I had to continue it. I don't want to make any more promises I can't keep, but ... I'll try REALLY hard to update it more. I feel like I'm getting more inspiration for it, especially seeing that I broke 100 reviews (woot! never would've thought that would've happened in the beginning of the story) just made me really happy and made me want to write more.**

**Disclaimer: Waiting for the rights to WOWP. And waiting. And waiting. And still waiting. *sighs***

**Also, sorry for the long A/N. Kudos to you if you actually read it! And here's chapter ten ... finally.**

**--**

Dean was so damn protective.

It would be sweet, actually, if it wasn't so annoying. But it _was_ annoying – it was like everywhere she went, he was there. Or if he wasn't, then her dad was there. Or Max. After that night, when the letter had come, she'd begrudgingly, upon Dean's insistence, told her parents everything about Riley. Now, it seemed, _everyone _was on Alex watch.

She needed to get out. It was suffocating, the way someone would be standing outside the door when she was in the bathroom, the way she couldn't even walk down the hallway at school without Dean holding onto her waist, her hand. She needed to escape, if only for just a few hours.

So she hatched her plan.

It was a good plan, if she said so herself - possibly one of her bests. It was simple, but that was why (she hoped) it would work. She'd decided that her best chance to escape was during school. She'd go to that one girl's bathroom that had two doors (**A/N: think those airport bathrooms that have two doors) **on different ends of the bathroom. With any luck, Dean would be facing the other way and she'd be able to run down the hall and out the building without him seeing her.

She was still nervous, though, because there was a chance it might not work. She'd never tried a stunt like this, running away from Dean. Sure, she'd snuck out of the house _all _the time, but sneaking away from Dean, when he was on super watch-Alex-at-all-times mode? That would be much harder, she knew.

She figured that she would also slip a note into Dean's backpack or his pocket so he wouldn't worry _too _much. She just needed some breathing room, really, because these past few weeks had been so suffocating. She knew their intentions were good, but she really couldn't take it anymore.

Sighing, she stared impatiently at the clock in her last period class while she waited for the bell to ring. She was nearly a month-and-a-half pregnant now. She wasn't showing yet, but the morning sickness (more like all-day sickness) had definitely been getting worse this week, and that made it much harder for her to blend in at school. She knew that there some kids who were suspecting, what with her fainting spell and constant throwing up.

There must be something wrong with the clock, she decided. The seconds seemed to tick by slower than molasses. Classes weren't usually this long, were they? Maybe Max had accidentally placed a spell on the clock to make it slow down - she wouldn't put it past him.

Deciding she had nothing better to do, she pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil and began writing her note to Dean.

_ Dean,_

_ Don't worry. I just needed to get away have some breathing_

_ room for a bit. You guys are suffocating me, watching over me_

_ all the time. I promise you, I'm **fine. **The baby's fine. I'll be _

_ back home later tonight, no later than six. Promise. _

_ Love you, Russo_

She signed her last name at the end of the note – she knew he'd know it was her – and folded it up into a little square. Slipping it into his pocket seemed like the best bet, though she hadn't quite figured out how she would do it without him noticing.

She spent the rest of the class period contemplating this until, finally, the bell rang. In a hurry, she jumped up from her seat and waited impatiently for Dean to get his stuff together.

"What's the rush, Russo?" he asked her, smirking.

"I just really have to go to the bathroom," she lied, "And if you didn't make me go _everywhere _with you and _wait _for you all the time –"

"Alright, alright," Dean cut her off, "I get it. Let's go." He swung his backpack over one shoulder and led the way out of the room. When they reached the bathroom, he looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to go in. "Well?" he asked, "We don't have all day - I thought you had to go really bad?"

"I do," she answered, note still clutched tightly in her hand. Doing the only thing she could think of, she reached up to hug him. "I love you," she whispered in his ear, casually dropping the note into his back pocket. At least that was taken care of.

"Love you too, Russo." She grinned at him and pulled herself out of his arms, scurrying into the bathroom. Not wasting any time, she bolted over to the other door, peeking out. When she saw Dean facing the other direction from her, staring at something down the hall, she fled from the bathroom as quiet and quickly as possible, never looking back once.

--

She wasn't sure how long she ran for. It was probably only five minutes – maybe less – but it felt like it had been _way_ longer than that. She stopped on a corner, breathing heavily from her run, probably twenty or so blocks from the school; she couldn't be sure, though, because she'd made so many turns.

As she was catching her breath, her phone suddenly buzzed.

_Shit._

She'd forgotten about her phone. Yanking it out of her pocket, she read the text message that flitted across her screen.

** From: Dean**

** To: Alex**

** whats taking u so long, u ok?**

** Sent Thursday November 25th 2010 at 3:37 P.M.**

Well, she decided, she might as well let him know where the note was.

** From: Alex**

** To: Dean**

** look in your back pocket.**

** Sent Thursday November 25th 2010 at 3:37 P.M.**

It took a moment for him to respond in which, she assumed, he had found her note and was reading it.

**From: Dean**

** To: Alex**

** russo, u cant do this, where r u?**

** Sent Thursday November 25****th**** 2010 at 3:38 P.M.**

She didn't answer, instead putting her phone on silent and stuffing it back into her pocket. Manhattan was a big city – there was no way in hell Dean or anyone else was going to find her. She could do whatever she wanted for these next two hours and twenty minutes.

She was _free._

She was heading down the block in a random direction when a sudden urge to have a bagel overcame her. And not just any bagel, either. She needed a bagel from H&H bagels – she hadn't had one in _so_ long.

Stomach grumbling, she continued down the street. It was a long walk - and Alex absolutely _hated _long walks (or walks of any kind, really) - but she finally reached H&H bagels on Broadway. Face brightening considerably, she hurried into the store and up to the counter to wait in line. When it was finally her turn, she ordered a cinnamon raisin bagel.

_This _was freedom, was the only thought running through her head as she bit into the satisfying bagel. She couldn't explain it, the craving she'd had for the bagel, but she figured it had something to do with the whole pregnancy thing. While she ate, she decided to pull out her history book – she was probably going to be here for awhile anyways, so she might as well get some homework done.

She'd just started reading on the chapter about the Civil War when a voice startled her.

"Hey," she glanced up at the familiar voice, narrowing her eyes as Dean pulled out a chair and sat down across from her.

"How did you find me?" she asked, going straight to the point.

Dean cracked a smile. "This is only your favorite bagel place, Russo, I figured you'd be here."

Damn it.

Next time she'd have to find somewhere more inconspicuous.

"Look, Dean, I'm sorry, but I just had to –"

He cut her off. "I know, Russo, I get it. But until we're positive that Riley isn't going to do anything, we have to –"

"He _hasn't _done anything since the letter," she pointed out, interrupting him, "And I'm sick of being babysat anywhere and everywhere I go." She slammed her history book shut and stuffed it in her backpack. "I'm not a baby, _Moriarty, _I can take care of myself."

She stood up from the table and tossed the rest of her bagel in the trash, no longer feeling hungry. "Alex," she heard Dean call behind her, but she ignored him, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and walking out of the bagel shop.

"Alex, wait!" She kept walking down the street, trying to lose herself in the crowd, but apparently she wasn't fast enough because Dean had soon reached her and latched onto her arm. "Russo, I'm sorry I've been so overprotective," he apologized, shuffling his feet against the ground and looking down, "But the thing is," he paused here, looking up to meet her eyes, "I really, really care about you, Alex."

She felt her eyes well up with tears at his words.

Stupid pregnancy hormones.

"Oh Dean," she whispered, "I'm sorry too." She reached up to kiss him, feeling every nerve in her body tingling as his lips moved with hers. She couldn't remember the last time they'd kissed like _this_. With so much passion, meaning it with every bone, every cell, every fiber of every being in their bodies.

After what could've been hours or minutes – she really couldn't tell – they pulled apart, both breathing heavily. Alex rested her head against his chest.

"Let's get you home," Dean said.

Alex shook her head. "No," she decided, "Let's just stay and enjoy the city and do something ... fun. I haven't done something fun in a while."

Grinning, she lifted her head off his chest and looked around. "There's tons of things to do," she pointed out, "We're in New York City!" And then it hit her, "Let's go to the Central Park zoo! Oh, please, Dean, can we?"

"Alright, Russo, whatever you want."

Grinning, Alex towed him towards the nearest subway station, pulling him down the stairs and towards the subway.

--

"Don't you just love these snow leopards?" Alex breathed, hands clutching the wire of the fence, "They're so beautiful, but so dangerous at the same time." Her eyes were trained on the animal, watching it cross back and forth through the exhibit.

"Sure," Dean answered, but his eyes were not on the snow leopards like Alex's where; instead, they were trained on Alex.

Smiling lightly, Alex turned to Dean, "You're not even looking at them," she teased.

"Sure I am," he lied.

"Okay," her grin grew wider, "Then what do the snow leopards look like? And no peeking!"

"Um," Dean started, "Like a leopard? With spots? White spots? A snow white leopard?"

Alex laughed and shook her head, reaching out to twine her fingers with Dean's. "I love you," she said, simply, because they were the only words that could convey her feelings right now.

"I love you more," Dean answered.

Alex rolled her eyes, dropping his hands, but still smiling. "Alright, let's stop this before it gets too mushy."

"Okay," Dean agreed, laughing a bit as Alex reached once more for his hand and started dragging him towards the nearby cafe.

"Let's get something to eat," she said, getting in line to order, "I'm starved."

"You're starved all the time, Russo."

Alex put her hands on her hips and turned to face Dean. "Yea, well, I have an excuse – I'm pregnant," then, leaning in close to his ear, she whispered, "With _your _baby. And _your _baby is hungry and wants to eat."

Dean backed up. "Alright, alright – but you were starved all the time _before_ you were pregnant, too, you know."

Alex shot Dean a glare and turned back to scan the menu. As she read over the food choices, nothing sounded very appetizing, and she suddenly felt her stomach churning.

"You know what?" she asked, turning back to Dean, "Suddenly I'm not so hungry anymore. Let's just walk around a bit and look at some more animals ..." she trailed off as the ever-familiar feeling of needing to puke took her over.

"Russo, if this is about what I said, I didn't mean it, I was just –" he stopped mid-sentence as Alex suddenly covered her mouth with her hand and ran towards the nearest trashcan, leaning over it as she threw up. She felt Dean run up behind her and pull her hair back from her face. Finally, she pulled herself back from the trashcan.

"Your baby didn't like anything on the menu," she accused, the gross aftertaste of throw up still in her mouth. "I'll be right back. I have to go clean up." She hurried towards the ladies bathroom and washed her face before pulling out a toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste from her backpack – she'd taken to carrying them around ever since her morning sickness had escalated.

After brushing her teeth thoroughly – she received more than a few strange looks from other women in the bathroom, but that didn't matter – she hurried out to meet Dean.

"You alright?" he asked.

Alex shot him a half-hearted grin. "Your baby is a picky eater."

Dean laughed, "Let's go see the sea lions, alright? Those were always my favorite animals to see when I was a kid."

"Okay," Alex agreed, following him towards the sea lion pool. They stopped in front of the crowded exhibit and alex peered down at the sea lions. "Can you remember the last time we did something so simple like go to the zoo?" she asked.

"No," Dean answered truthfully.

Alex sighed and leaned father over the glass barrier to get another look. "Sea lions are lucky," she commented wistfully.

"You wanna be a sea lion, Russo?" Dean joked.

She laughed and stepped back from the exhibit. "Not really, because I wouldn't be able to do a lot of things if I was a sea lion."

"Oh yea?" Dean asked, "Like what?"

"Like this," Alex answered, and then she stretched up on the tiptoes of her converse and brought her lips to his for the second time that day in a perfect kiss. And in that moment, everything truly did seem perfect.

Little did she know, it wouldn't stay that way for long.

**--**

**A/N: Since I feel so sorry, I wrote an apology song for you. I completely understand if you guys don't want to leave any reviews now – I don't expect you to, because I know I probably wouldn't.**

***cue jonas brother's sorry music***

**Last updates and last chapters,**  
**Restless nights, writer's block, pain won't go away,**  
**I realize I let you down, told you that I'd update soon,**  
**Building up the strength just to say**

**I'm sorry, for breaking all the promises,**  
**Abandoning this story,**  
**I told you this time is the last time,**  
**That I would ever leave the story,**  
**But I already left again**

**Filled with regret, filled with guilt,**  
**Knowing that I am to blame for not updating when I said I would,**  
**And I know you're going to walk away,**  
**Leave me with no more reviews, don't blame you but just wanted to say,**

**I'm sorry, for breaking all the promises,**  
**Abandoning this story,**  
**I told you this time is the last time,**  
**That I would ever leave the story,**  
**But I already left again**

**I can't keep writing on my own,**  
**But if you have to leave then please leave just one last review,**  
**'Cause I don't wanna see you and me going our separate ways,**  
**Begging you to keep reading if it isn't too late,**

**I'm sorry, for breaking all the promises,**  
**Abandoning this story,**  
**It's my fault, I didn't update sooner,**  
**I won't try to leave again,**  
**Please accept my apology,**  
**And some virtual cookies ...**

**Did you like it??? Sorry, again, really!!!! xD virtual cookies for EVERYONE (whether or not you review) x10000000000. I actually made sugar cookies with my sister yesterday, only I think we accidentally tripled the recipe or something because we ended up with like 75 cookies (no joke, I counted). So everyone can have some virtual sugar cookies (with pink frosting ... for Valentine's day!)**

**And I would just like to thank the twenty-five reviewers from my last chapter, for inspiring me to continue the story (again): cutiexkarli, Bloodsucker94, gottaxluvxdisneyxchannelx96, Aussie surfer, BellaRose55, X0XSuiteLifeColeLuvrXoX, Marissa-Xtreme Haley Fan, Boris Yeltsin, eddielova09, 0Twisted-Symphony6, wizardlover21, I'm just me2, xXBrittanyXx, Hatsyetta Chocolate, Riana Kaiba, H20Fan345, haily94, xoSolxo, Rochelle Kuchiki, kaylinwriter14, iLOVEdisneyandvampiresxx1996, zakkey, Naturally-Susan, Baby swan-azure orbs16, FishFace4LIFE, Shadow-KissedKK, alexandmason4ever**

**And special thanks to the two people who PM'd me: kaylinwriter14 and X0XSuiteLifeColeLuvrXoX -- thanks for doing that guys, it helped me realize that I needed to update my story!!!**

**xoxo, love you all, ashleybee**


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